Perfect Theology
by ravarath
Summary: KakaIru. Because no one has a perfectly foolproof method to approach love and life. Including Konoha's famed Copy Ninja.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! Wow, it s been a long, long time since I last visited , and reading my old stuff made me want to try writing again. First, I d like to thank all of you who wished me good luck with my move and new job! I read each and every comment, and appreciate them more than you can imagine! 3 Thank you! I realize it s been a few years now, and I wonder if anyone would still read this. However, I ve rewritten a big chunk of this, and merged chapters. The basic plot is still the same; just some details changed and polished up. As always, thank you for your support, your understanding, and your patience! Hugs and kisses~**

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* * *

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_Tenet number one: exist._

Done and done. He existed, and they existed. It wasn't complicated, and it often was not too difficult to cope with. That wall of separation was a constant that had been in place since the first time he utilized a cloth mask to obscure half his features. It was almost ironic, how that bit of dark-colored material could create a nearly perfect shield that made him impervious him from the brunt of society's problems.

The key phrase was 'nearly perfect.' Cracks were present, allowing sprinters of hurt, regret, and overall weakness to seep through. Those were dealt with, but not forgotten.

_Tenet number two: cherish those close to you._

Perhaps it was familiarity that allowed him to slip unnoticed past Kakashi's mental barriers.

He saw him constantly: During mission briefings; turning in his reports, far past their date of assignment; the occasional dinner of ramen with Naruto present; that memorable day in the summer time. By itself, those little encounters would have meant nothing. However, the famed Copy Ninja suspected that interest (or dare he say, a bit of attraction?) somehow wheedled its way past his apathy. He likened it to a flower growing in the middle of a sidewalk: all it took was one little crack, one breach in a normally infertile environment. At first it s invisible, slowly spreading roots and flourishing unseen. But before you know it, it would bloom with sunshine and change the landscape of a person s heart.

In accordance with his long-ingrained shinobi ways, the shinobi in question was scrutinized. It wasn't difficult, as one of the renowned Kakashi's wards was the equally infamous loud-mouth kitsune of Konoha. A loud kitsune who chattered constantly about everything under the sun. Including his favorite Academy instructor.  
Now, he'd been a servant to the needs of Konoha too long to lie to himself. Mere interest was an understatement. Attraction was closer to the true nature of what he was experiencing. Which then raised the question, what was the reason for his attraction?

Was it physical? Perhaps. The Chuunin wasn't unlike his peers; physically able to handle the missions and assignments handed out by a village of warriors and fighters-in-training. Tanned skin, warm gaze, pleasant features that usually wore a friendly smile. Could be considered somewhat feminine. Nothing extraordinary.  
Mentally though, the Academy teacher was an enigma of sorts to him.

And emotionally? From prior experience and observation, the Chuunin could almost be called unstable. Shifting from passive and motherly to explosive and deadly in a blink of an eye (or a mischievous Naruto). In more civil terms, the young teacher was capricious. Undeniably, he was devoted. The three ninjas under Kakashi's tutelage was testimony to that. He d also been a favorite of the Third Hokage, implying something admirable in his character. By nature, Kakashi was an analytical soul. Each detail and factor pertinent were carefully considered and filed before reaching a logical and pragmatic conclusion. However, the analysis of his situation was impeded by one glaring problem: insufficient data. Truthfully, Kakashi s knowledge of Umino Iruka was fragmented and incomplete. Any good shinobi knows that adequate knowledge about a target was crucial to a mission s success. Clearly, the Jounin would need to do some reconnaissance. His logical mind was happy with this conclusion: find info, find it fast, and do it unseen. And so, he assigned himself a new objective: Approach Iruka.

The word approach used very loosely, of course

* * *

The mission was simple enough. Find and bring back a scroll that was a potential political threat. His instructions had been simple as well. "Search and retrieve. Allow no one to see you. Destroy the scroll if necessary."

Now, Kakashi Theology Tenet number three stated: Protect the village. Not be misled by the number denoting, it was actually one of his top priorities. So without qualms, he stood before his students with an unfazed grin. Or rather, what appeared to be an unfazed grin. By any stretch of the imagination, it was somewhat difficult to distinguish features behind that mask. Nothing unusual, but something not too highly appreciated either. However, this air of ambiguity usually was an advantage for the Jounin.

But before his words, routine kicked in.

"You're LATE!" From the duo of blond and pink.

A wider grin, with the one visible eye arched in contentment. "I was taking a shortcut down by the beach, and saw a dolphin in distress and-"

"LIAR!"

Ah, routine. But enough of that. Kakashi shifted into a comfortable stance, hands in his pocket. "Okay kids, I have a mission for the next couple of days, so I'll place you under the supervision of another instructor. I'll send them by tomorrow morning at the usual time." Before they could protest, or launch into a different train of thought, he turned with a farewell salute. "See ya."

As their bickering faded away, and the three decided how to spend their unexpected free time, Kakashi pondered the options of his 'replacement instructor.' Naturally, he could've asked one pf his fellow Jounin. Asuma, Kurenai, or maybe even Gai. He was sure Lee would appreciate the idea. Unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately), this was where Kakashi Theology Tenet number four came into play.

_Tenet number four: let no opportunities pass you._

Naturally, a grin came to his face, almost wide enough to be seen through his mask. A good, well-planned mission was a work of art. And after a quick review of his plan, his mind concluded it was satisfactory. Clever at the very least. Perhaps it could even be considered ingenious. Of course, the Sharingan user never doubted it. However, times of exemplary genius did deserve a mental pat on the back. Maybe later some splurging on some porn. But enough gratification. A plan of such ingenuity deserved to be implemented with all haste possible.

A few passersby looked on warily as the Copy Ninja rubbed his hands together eagerly in anticipation.

* * *

"Now, there's a reason why kunai and shuriken are used at different points in time during combat. Small shuriken, being lighter in construct, are more aerodynamic, and will travel faster when thrown. However, it probably would not inflict as much damage as a kunai might." A tanned hand indicated a diagram on the blackboard. "Has everyone copied this down? You'll be having a test on this next week." At the murmured affirmative, their Chuunin teacher smiled. He heard a few grumbling at the prospect of an exam, but he ignored it. "Good, then you're dismissed for the day."

Watching the shinobi-in-training file ecstatically out the door, Iruka frowned at the child about to walk past his desk. Momentarily, the instructor scrutinized the young boy, and then reached out an agile hand to grab him by the scruff of his neck.

"What...are you doing here?" He said in exasperation, but not without a slightly curious look.

The child in his grip grinned widely, blinking his boyish eyes innocently. His boyish, mismatched eyes of red and blue.

"Kakashi-sensei."

With a soft poof and a bit of smoke, Konoha's infamous ninja stood nonchalantly before Iruka. "Yo." A grin was instantaneous, and the older man ran a hand through unmanageable silver locks. "I see your detection abilities are still sharp, sensei." His grin grew wider, if possible, at Iruka's look of further exasperation.

"I would like to think I d be able to remember what my students look like, Kakashi-sensei. Noticing an extra student takes hardly any skill." His hand picked up a red grading pen, starting to mark the various papers before him. "So what can I do for you, Kakashi?"

"I need a favor."

At the rather blunt statement, Iruka looked up warily. A mischievous blue eye winked back. 'What kind of favor?"

The grin only became wider. "Just a small one."

* * *

Iruka smiled fondly down at the blond Genin clutching his middle tightly. "Glad to see you too, Naruto." He turned an equally bright, if somewhat exasperated smile to the other two members of Team 7. "So your sensei asked me to check up on you guys for him, while he's away on mission. However " He managed to extract an arm, and reach into a bag slung from his shoulders, withdrawing three sealed envelopes. " he asked me to pass on these training assignments to you three."

* * *

It should be a foolproof plan, ingenious in its simplicity. Easy enough that even Naruto couldn t mess it up. Perhaps it was a frivolous thought, but it was Kakashi's single comforting thought while he trudged wearily from the blood-stained field, a rather battered scroll in tow. He'd been quick, efficient, and unfazed about the entire assignment, hands not even trembling as devastatingly accurate kunai and shuriken met their marks. Unflinching as enemy after enemy fell lifeless to the ground. Perfectly composed when he was the only one to remain standing on the silent, red-splashed field.

_Tenet number five: Separate the job from living._

Perhaps it could be considered ironic. His assignment: simply to search and retrieve. Obviously, it had gone slightly awry, leaving about half a dozen foe dead. His team's assignment, back home in far away Konoha, also search and retrieve. But, it was unlikely to be as blood-splashed as his had been.

Over long years of death and bloodshed, Hatake Kakashi had learned to erect a mental wall of separation between his role as a protector of Konoha and the rest of him. It was completely necessary, keeping him motivated and keeping him sane. Long ago, the darker parts of him had almost become too much, too consuming. Luckily, he d met people in his life who taught him about the gentler side of existence. From Obito and Rin he d learned friendship and teamwork. From the Fourth, he d learned about compassion and integrity, and about enjoying the other parts of his life that did not involve the taking of lives.

So it was with them in mind that Kakashi had formulated tenet number five. It was in their memory that he d repeated it over the years. And after Kakashi had made sure he wasn t being followed, his thoughts automatically wandered back to his home, his students. His latest plan. Some would call it laziness, but Kakashi personally preferred the phrase 'adapting to what one has available.' Besides, didn t he teach his students that teamwork was important to a shinobi and the mission? What better way to get this across than to assign them the grunt work. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura should have received their instruction packets the other day, from an unsuspecting Iruka.

"Your target has been pre-selected, and will be the messenger bearing these mission assignments. For the next week, gather as much information on the target, Umino Iruka, as possible. Work in pairs, switching pairings daily. Be prepared for questioning."

Not his usual caliber of mission assignment writing, but it sufficed. Basically, it was like killing two birds with one stone: getting Iruka to watch his team for a few days as well as getting a plethora of information on the Chuunin.

A lesser individual might have dismissed such thoughts as childish, but Hatake Kakashi was a firm believer in tenet number five.

_Right foot forward, left foot forward._

Check the right hand pocket. Check behind you. Repeat the procedure.

And thus, Sharingan Kakashi made his way back to Konoha. One sky-blue eye squinting in the midday sun, the other blood-red one closed wearily under his hitai-ate.


	2. Chapter 2

A flicker.

That's all it was. But it was a persistent flicker. A persistent flicker of chakra.

Iruka paused in his writing, setting down the piece of yellow chalk. "Class," Twenty-five mini-shinobi looked up from their assignments. "You're been attentive today, so I'll let you leave early today." Amidst the cheers and the rumble of footsteps, the Chuunin felt it again.

There.

Absentmindedly patting the last few departing children on the head, Iruka squinted at the open window, and a frown came over his features.  
Had he seen Uchiha Sasuke of all people, outside his window?

* * *

"Teme!"

The Uchiha scowled at the Genin who appeared beside him.

"He saw you, bastard!"

The dark-haired boy smirked. Idiotic mission or not, at least he wasn't the worst one off. "I'd like to see you do better, dobe." The last word seemed to draw out, mocking the other boy.

"Asshole. I told you not to call me that!" Hands already forming the necessary seals, Naruto winked cheekily. "Watch and learn from your future Hokage, bastard."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Instead of the usual dozen or so, a single replication appeared behind the blond. Like its originator, it also grinned jauntily at the dark-haired Genin.

Complacently, Sasuke snorted from his seat on the Academy roof, scribbling the information gathered onto a small notebook, not even bothering to glance up. "It won't work, dobe."

Kakashi s instructions had been clear on the point that they were to be not detected by their target. After all, what use is a ninja who can t even reconnoiter properly? Personally, Sasuke thought this mission should be easily accomplished. It was Kakashi s requirement that they work in pairs that was beginning to be problematic. Namely with Naruto. Sakura was at least a competent partner. The blond, however, didn t seem to have a remotely stealthy bone in his body. Under no circumstances were they supposed to let Iruka discover the nature of their mission. Their instructor had also been clear on that as well: Those who fail any of the mission objectives would be duly punished.

* * *

"Iruka-sensei!"

Turning from the window, the Chuunin smiled at his favorite student (not that he'd actually admit it, being a fair instructor). "Naruto! You finished your assignment from Kakashi-sensei already?"

A snort was instantaneous, and Naruto crossed his arms moodily. "Che! That pervert is losing his touch. It was easy!" Before Iruka could converse on the topic further, Naruto seized him by the arm and proceeded to drag him towards the door. "C'mon! You owe me ramen!"

"W-What? From when?"

As the door closed, and the two voices faded away, the classroom window slowly swung open. Hands grabbed the frame before it could hit the wall. Landing noiselessly onto the wooden floor, the blond paused to scan his surroundings.

Door closed. Desks empty. No chakra signatures in the vicinity.

Except for the Uchiha behind him, that was.

Naruto smirked over his shoulder, straightening up. "Well? I think that worked, don't you?"

"Hn." The dark-haired boy strode silently to the door and locked it. "It's too easy.."

The blond snorted, already sifting through Iruka's desk, lifting items of interest out. "I think you're just jealous. My plan was better than yours this time." He didn't bother to turn, opting to scribble down important notes. Do you think Iruka keeps a diary or something? He opened a few notebooks hopefully.

Sasuke, in his usual efficient manner, glanced around the area warily, before his eyes widened slightly. Quickly, he positioned himself behind Naruto.

"What?" The blond scowled, moving to push him away. "Can't you see I'm trying to-"

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Sasuke cut his off in the most unorthodox way.

It was as if his brain functions completely shut down. He would assure himself later it was just shock. It was totally justified. Mostly.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that it was Sasuke's lips caressing his own; and indeed, Sasuke Uchiha was kissing him. Later, Naruto would again reassure himself that the true culprit and drive for his actions was pure shock. The fact that he kissed Sasuke back was completely negligible.

Now, the fact that he was utterly complacent during that fierce clash of tongue and lips was inexcusable. As was his every moan (of varying volume) of affirmation as Sasuke bodily lifted him onto the desk.

With a wet smack, reddened lips finally parted, and blue eyes locked gazes with dark ones. "I see what you're doing, Naru-chan." The shinobi in mention found his protest cut off as an unbelievably hot tongue glided up the column of his throat. "However," Naruto found himself practically shivering at the lust in his voice. "-I don't have the patience for you to clean off the desk."

"But-"

"I told you-" Sasuke's words were whispered so softly, Naruto barely caught them. "-it was too easy."

"What?" He groaned as a cool hand slid up his stomach slowly, sensuously. When had his shirt come off?

Again the softest of whispers in his right ear. "This mission is in jeopardy. Do you understand? Play along." As he spoke, Sasuke ground his hips slowly against the boy trapped beneath him. "So don't mess-" His whisper suddenly transformed into a sharp moan.

"N-Naruto.." The Uchiha pushed forward a bit more, leaning once again towards the blond's ear.

"What's the problem, Sasuke-kun?" He inhaled sharply and slid a hand slowly up his back and neck. Gently, tactile fingers pulled on blond strands of hair, tilting Naruto's head back.

As teeth and tongue ravished his bared neck, Naruto caught the quiet order that slipped out from his teammate.

"Look up."

Oh.

Shit.

Glaring down at them, gloriously enraged, was Iruka, perched inverted upon the ceiling rafters.

Naruto sighed. This was all that pervert-of-a-Jounin's fault.

* * *

Grimacing mightily, the blond nursed at the protruding bump on his head. "Itai ." He scowled at the boy walking next to him. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Hn." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot. I didn't realize it until you'd already started tearing his desk apart." He winced as a finger impudently poked the protrusion on his own head. "Besides, the point of the mission is to not let Iruka know we re gathering information on him. Naruto rolled his eyes as well. "Kakashi-sensei is full of crap."

"Hn."

"He's still a bastard. And a pervert."

Sasuke sighed, pulling out the notes he'd managed to salvage.

* * *

As he watched the two boys walk away, the Chuunin teacher frowned in contemplation.

"I'm gonna kill that pervert!"

After the initial outburst upon being discovered, however, the two had attempted to convince his that they were (admittedly foolishly) 'experimenting' in his classroom (can someone say kinky?). Granted, even Sasuke had a faint blush to his cheeks, and Naruto looked ready to die on the spot.

However, Iruka was not stupid. Iruka knew to take a cue from Naruto's initial reaction. He also knew to confiscate the notes on him from Naruto (Sasuke steadfastly refused to hand over anything).

Finally, Iruka knew the answers lay at the source itself. By themselves, he doubted the two boys would bother engaging in something like this. But he knew exactly who would order his team to participate in such shenanigans.

The infamous Copy Ninja of Konoha.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Currently, it is 11PM and I've uploaded the 8 chapters I re-wrote and had all ready to go. Upon previewing them in 's Doc Manager though, I was appalled to discover that for some reason, almost all of the chapters had lost a lot of punctuation marks and paragraph breaks. So, I'll be spending the next few hours carefully re-reading my chapters to make sure all quotations are put back in and divide huge walls of text back into their neat little paragraphs. **

**Bear with me, I'm computer dumb. ^_^; Please excuse any errors you find. I've read these chapters so many times the words are starting to blur. Maybe it's time to recruit a beta? :D  
**

* * *

"This sucks."

"Hn."

"I think he's a bastard. What kind of crap mission was this? Stalking Iruka-sensei."

"It's called gathering information, dobe."

"Whatever. It's stalking, no matter what you call it. Lazy pervert. I bet all that porn he reads is messing up his head ." Naruto pouted moodily, arms crossing as he shifted his weight to one foot. "Bastard. I wouldn't be surprised if he started to write his own porn books."

Sasuke continued to stare intently down at the water, running a nonchalant hand over the wood of the bridge. Beside him, Sakura yawned, stretching languidly. "He's later than usual."

Naruto scowled at the sun. "Has it been six hours yet? He said we could leave if he's ever more than six hours late."

"We have about one more-"

Poof. Bamph. _Ta-da_.

"Yo."

"You're late!"

A smile. "I was distracted by an alluring damsel in distress and-"

"LIAR!"

Kakashi grinned at the usual routine of cut-off explanations and accusations. "I believe you guys had an assignment while I was away. What have you got for me?"  
Instantly, three reams of paper were presented to his face. From the first, he could pick out Sakura's neat and meticulous handwriting, accompanied by various pictures and diagrams. He smiled at her organization, taking her packet happily. His grin widened at the amount of information she had gathered and categorized perfectly. This would be very useful.

Sasuke's came next, sheet after sheet covered with his also meticulous, but more cramped writing style. The Copy Nin skimmed its contents, and almost laughed out loud at the overly-logistical mood of the report. From the title ("Subject: Umino Iruka. Status: Chuunin Instructor. Height, weight, etc ") to the very dry description of the teacher's day-to-day activities. Ah Sasuke. A prodigy he might be, but apparently lacking in imagination.

"Um Naruto?" Flipping through the final slim pile of papers, Kakashi held up exactly fifteen sheets of pristine white paper. All completely blank.

"Oh. Iruka-sensei told me to give you that."

"What-"

"He also took away my notes and well ." Naruto scowled at the black-haired boy beside him, " it was Sasuke's fault too! He just got away faster!"

The Genin in reference rolled his eyes, reaching into a pocket. "He also told Naruto to give you this, but he dropped it on the way here today." Placidly, he handed over a small slip of paper to his sensei.

**_Kakashi-sensei-_**  
**_I apprehended Naruto and Sasuke outside my classroom, spying on me. Please come by the Academy after classes to discuss their conduct as well as your own._**  
**_-Umino Iruka _**

The single visible eye widened, then curved upwards in amusement.

Ah.

Shit.

Inwardly, Kakashi sighed. He should ve known better than to delegate this work to his students, especially Naruto. Sakura and Sasuke had been fine, but it had been an error on his part to forget how truly un-stealthy their shortest teammate was. "Sensei?" Sakura stood on her tiptoes, attempting to read the note.

"Well, you kids are dismissed for today!" Without further explanation, the legendary Jounin vanished in a cloud of light grey smoke.

* * *

Iruka scowled.

He'd had hundreds of students over years. Some mellow and a joy to teach; others were slightly more difficult. Only a few, Naruto included, would be called hard. But despite all of them, it still didn't prepare the Chuunin sufficiently enough to deal with certain shinobi.

And his years at the Academy certainly didn't help him even begin to fully comprehend the infamous Hatake Kakashi.

Back to the scowling. The older man slouched before his desk, a careless smile barely showing through the mask, and the one visible eye gazing brightly at him. Truth be told, the Jounin baffled Iruka. He was a living contradiction. A prodigy, yet childish. Legendary in his shinobi brilliance, yet an unabashed pervert. Not a few of the female members of the village found him physically desirable, but about 95 percent of his face was obscured by cloth and metal.

Perhaps Kakashi could sense the direction of Iruka's thoughts, since he winked in a semi-lecherous manner. "You know, sensei, staring won't get the mask off."

Flushing and maintaining his scowl simultaneously, the teacher ignored his comment, opting to toss a stack of papers onto the desk. "I caught your students here earlier, Kakashi-sensei. At first, I thought it was another of Naruto's pranks."

Kakashi sighed inwardly again. Those two had pushed him into quite a pile of trouble. Maybe some extremely tedious and frightfully disgusting cleaning missions were in order? Sakura could take a few days off. Maybe a few weeks too.

"-I'm holding you accountable."

The Jounin snapped back to attention. "Er, pardon?"

Iruka rolled his eyes none too surreptitiously. "I said, since you're their instructor, I am holding you accountable for their actions. Which were, apparently, within mission parameters?'"

Well, no harm in being a bit obtuse about this. "So, what actions am I exactly accountable for?" A surprising, yet not unappreciated, blush colored the younger shinobi's cheeks.  
"W-Well spying for one matter. And ...inappropriate and lewd conduct in my classroom." The Chuunin seethed inwardly, making a mental reminder to kill Naruto later for putting him in this situation.

The one visible blue eye widened. "Inappropriate and lewd conduct?" This was new.

"Yes!" Iruka stood up, ruffling papers to hide his embarrassment. "And on my desk too!"

"You mean-" Behind the dark mask, a grin of colossal perversion spread across his lips. Ah, Sasuke and Naruto. This was definitely blackmail. At the very least it was something to tease them with.

"They were fucking?"

"GAH!" Jerking straight up at Kakashi's question, Iruka winced as his toe connected with a chair leg. 'No!" He made another mental note to strangle Sasuke, after he d buried Naruto. "T-They were making out."

"Ah."

Now, as aforementioned, Kakashi Theology tenet number four states something about not letting opportunities pass you.

"Making out?" With a look of supreme contemplation, Kakashi slowly strode his way around the desk. "Like, as in kissing?"

"Y-Yes."

"Lip to lip contact?"

Iruka felt a chill run up his spine, and he instinctively started looking for exits. "Uh..y-yes.."

"Were there tongues involved?"

By now, the Jounin had made his way around the entirety of the desk, and stood squarely in front of a slightly beleaguered Chuunin. "H-How is that relevant t-to anything?" He cursed his stammer, hoping that Kakashi didn't notice the red-hot blush brightening his face. But of course, he did.

Kakashi adopted a matter-of-fact tone. "Well, if I'm to properly punish them, then I need to know how severe their actions were."

"But-"

"Aaand, I'm still a little confused on what happened."

"What are you-"

Iruka found himself cut off as a pale face moved inches away from his own. "Was it like this?" He was trapped, two long arms resting on either side of the desk.

Understandably, the teacher found himself sufficiently confused. Why were they discussing kissing of all things! But more importantly, Kakashi had plainly ignored the fact that it was he who had sent Sasuke and Naruto to spy on him!

"Wait a minute." Iruka grabbed the closest and least defended part of the Jounin. His face. "YOU sent Sasuke and Naruto to spy on me. This was YOUR mission! Why are YOU going unpunished?" He managed to push Kakashi s face a few inches away, but no further.

Kakashi blinked. Well, he hadn't thought of that. Admittedly Iruka was focused, clearly not to be deterred by distractions. He contemplated offering a complicated-yet-totally-believable story as an explanation. However, his well organized mind decided on a better course of action. From both personal observation as well as the notes Sakura and Sasuke had taken, Kakashi could see that Iruka had a weakness to honesty. It didn t work all the time (especially if it was Naruto), but most of the time, being honest was sure to diffuse a hostile Umino Iruka. Besides, Iruka had quite a strong grip on his cheek. To the right mind, it was actually quite sensuous. And that right mind was Kakashi's. He found it slightly difficult to lie in such a position.

"Tell me, sensei." The silver-haired man could not help but glance at the slightly parted lips so near his own. "Are you dating anyone?"

Iruka s eyes widened and he found himself sputtering. "I don t What does that Why is this even-"

You see, sensei, if I d just asked you that, I wasn't sure I'd receive an accurate answer." Kakashi smirked at the flustered man. "Or a coherent one." Before Iruka could retort, the Jounin straightened up, allowing Iruka a little more breathing room. "So I sent my team to observe you, so I could see the answer for myself. And you're not, sensei." Kakashi paused, waiting for his words to sink in.

The Chuunin frowned. "Why is that any of your business-"

"You interest me, sensei."

What? Iruka blinked. Was this some kind of joke?

"I'm interested in you."

Kakashi was pleased to see the anger draining out of the other man. But the hardest part had yet to come. Gauging Iruka s reaction, and the apple red color of his cheeks, the Jounin estimated that the chances were good this mission would be a success. I'd like to get to know you better. He hesitated, noting Irukas shocked expression, then added in a quieter tone, "This is not a joke, sensei. I believe you are an opportunity I'd like to explore." He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. But then again, the mask obscured it. "So what do you think?"

Iruka stood stock-still. This was the last thing he d expected. Kakashi, of all people. So he d had Team Seven spy on him in an effort to learn more about him. A part of him rolled his eyes at the blatant perversion and disregard for privacy behind the plan, but another part of him found it oddly...flattering.

"I think, Kakashi, you should ask for a date first."


	4. Chapter 4

The bubbles floated serenely in the air, reflecting whorls of pink and green, as well as the scowling face of the young Genin. As it popped, the blond-haired boy plunged his sponge back into a red bucket filled to the brim with soapy liquid. More bubbles sailed upwards, and the boy beside him straightened up wearily, bringing a pale hand up to wipe beads of perspiration off his forehead. Was there no end to the tiles in this bath house? They d been here for hours and didn t seem to even be close to being halfway done. Of course, that might have been due to the fact that their supervisor kept telling them to re-clean areas.

A voice sounded behind the tired and wet pair. "Keep working, you two. Not done yet."

Perched on a rickety wooden chair, Kakashi watched the two male members of his team scrub dejectedly at the bathhouse tiles. Unusually, his ever-present orange book lay closed, balanced on his right knee. The elite Jounin was apparently completely absorbed with scribbling rapidly into a notebook, pausing every so often to ponder over a word or phrase. A smirk was plainly visible through his dark mask, and he chuckled every few minutes. Dishing out punishment could be so oddly satisfying.

Strangely enough, each scratch of the pencil and each chuckle seemed to agitate Naruto.

"Sasuke," the silver-haired man drawled out. "How would you describe the way your hands were fondling Naruto?" The ninja in question flinched, but maintained a stoic silence.

His companion, however, was not so collected.

"You bastard!" Leaping to his feet, the boy pointed an accusing finger at his still-writing sensei. "This was all your fault!"

"Must you be so loud?" All the while, the Copy Nin continued to write, turning his attention to his other student. He was vastly amused by their actions in Iruka s classroom, and felt an account of it deserved to be written and possibly published. An embellished account, of course. "How about 'amorously,' Sasuke? Do you like that word? 'The dark-haired boy ran his hands over tan thighs amorously.' Sounds almost poetic, don't you think?" He paused. "Or maybe lustfully? Naruto, do you think Sasuke was groping you in an amorous or lustful way?"

Apparently, this was all the blond could take. Grabbing the nearest object, his sponge, he hurled it with all his might at the offending instructor.

Kakashi sighed, exasperated. As an elite shinobi of Konoha, he could spot the flex of arm muscles easily, determine the sponge's trajectory, and dodge without even pausing in his writing. The benefit, though, of being Kakashi meant he also could form the katas of a simple water jutsu within the blink of an eye ..and send the belligerent Naruto crashing to the floor, even before the sponge was drawn back to the earth due to gravity. While his student started cursing up a storm, Kakashi continued his future novel.

"Yep, I think amorously is a good word."

* * *

Right, right, wrong.

Wrong again. Right right half credit.

Put the pen down. Bang head on table. And repeat.

Needless to say, Iruka was not getting a lot of grading done.

Needless to say, Iruka was not getting a lot of grading done.

Why? Because that very question was harassing at his mind. Why? Why did he consent on a date? Why did he even dare suggest one? And for the thousandth time, he scoured his befuddled mind for the non-existent answer. After Kakashi had left today, Iruka had felt delayed doubt set in. A myriad of questions popped into his mind: was this a good idea? Would this even end well? What was Kakashi looking for from him? His previous experiences with the Jounin hadn't been all bad, but they hadn't been all good either. It was a duality that was common when Hatake Kakashi was around, and it made Iruka wonder if he was going to enjoy himself or go crazy. Kakashi had grinned that usual, confident grin of his, sliding two fingers to his chin. "Seven o'clock, Friday?" The one visible eye closed in contentment. "It'll be fun."

"Fun." The Chuunin snorted. He knew better than to think Kakashi s definition of fun was anywhere near normal. Fun, as in dinner and a movie, fun? Walk in the nearby park brand of fun? "More like, nailing me to the wall, fun," He muttered. And yet, the teacher couldn't contain the small smile on his lips as he picked up the red grading pen once more. Perhaps it wouldn t be all bad.


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi watched, obviously bored, as his two male students attempted to kill each other. Sasuke, the blue and black blur, gracefully leapt from tree to tree, pale hands dazzlingly accurate with the kunai between his fingers. Naruto, the orange blur, couldn't boast the grace of the other boy. However, he made up for it with sheer determination, raw power, and a cunning technique finely honed from years of pulling pranks. Also watching them, Sakura stretched out her cramped limbs, and turned away from the dizzying sight of her two teammates.

"You're quiet today, sensei." Her green eyes watched him warily, noting the absence of his familiar orange book.

"Ah," The Jounin scratched his head sheepishly. "I guess I have other things on my mind." He paused at the searching glare she threw at him. Though certainly not as physically skilled as her sparring male counterparts, Kakashi knew better than to underestimate the pink-haired girl's astuteness. Even as he'd planned the mission and made it as unobvious as possible, he knew she'd be the one to figure it out. Observant, smart Sakura. But that was all right.

She probably noticed it all: the clean vest, the unscratched hitai-ate, the washed shirt. Even his mop of messy silver hair was a bit neater today. If that was even possible. And the biggest indicator of all: he'd left Icha Icha Paradise at home today.

The kunoichi quirked a slender eyebrow. "You have a date."

All according to plan. His only answer to her statement was an instant arcing of his single, visible eye.

Sakura's other eyebrow joined its companion near the top of her forehead, indicating to her teacher the exact moment she'd deduced it all out. "You have a date." Before he could react, the shocked look on her face shifted into something different, something he'd seen only directed at Sasuke thus far. Her hands clasped together with a gleeful clap, and he knew at once. The bright enthusiasm dawning in her green eyes said it all.

It was the fan-girl mode: the one thing that could make even the ice prince Sasuke practicing nearby shudder with dread. Luckily, it was just as he had planned.

"Who is it, sensei? Is she pretty? Do we know-" She paused, and Kakashi could practically see her brain putting two and two together: assigning them to spy on a specific person, the hours she'd seen him spend reading their reports. Sakura let out a happy squeal. "You have a date with Iruka-sensei!" His student jumped to her feet, already rattling off a litany of questions. "Did you book a nice restaurant? Where are you going afterwards? Are you wearing that? Are you going to bring him flowers?"

Even as he'd walked out of Iruka's classroom yesterday, Kakashi knew he'd need extra help. Iruka was different, and he didn't know where to begin. Certainly, the notes from his students helped. But one person could give him all the answers. And all he needed to do was speak a single sentence.

"Err...I actually haven't really thought it all through yet, Sakura-chan."

And that sealed that part of his plan. Even as Sakura declared she would plan out the perfect date for him and Iruka, Kakashi was already back to watching Naruto and Sasuke, satisfied that his scheme had went off without a hitch.

Perfect. Nothing could go wrong now.

* * *

And while Kakashi was reveling in the success of his plan, Sasuke was watching and listening.

"Date." "Iruka-sensei." It didn't take an ANBU elite to put two and two together. And being the genius that he was, the Uchiha instantly saw an opportunity. Purposefully, he paused in mid-fight, re-holstering the kunai he was holding and cocking his head towards his teacher.

"Hey, bastard!" Naruto appeared about five yards away, crouched on a low-hanging tree bough. "Tired already?" When his teammate didn't answer, the blond rolled his eyes. Closing the distance between them in a single jump, the kitsune landed with a thump next to him. "What are you doing, teme?"

Dark eyes flickered for a moment towards the blond, assessing. "Listening."

"You're eavesdropping?" A snort was instantaneous. "That's a new low for you, asshole."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, finally turning to face Naruto. "You're such a dobe."

"Asshole." He scowled moodily for a moment, eyes staring holes into that dark mass of hair as it turned away. That hair was surprisingly soft, he remembered. Especially when one ran his hands through it during-

Gah. Naruto made a note to kick himself later. This. Was. All. That. Idiotic. Pervert's. Fault. He needed revenge; but how? "So, what did you hear?"

The Uchiha shrugged, uninterested. "Something about a date that Kakashi has tonight."

"What!" Naruto balked, an expression of both surprise and horror gracing his features. "What girl is crazy enough to want to date that perverted bastard of a teach-"

"Iruka."

"WHAT!"

Sasuke winced at the shrill tone in his companion's voice, opting to not cover his ears, though.

"That BASTARD! If he pulls-"

"Naruto."

"-any of his ecchi-"

"Naruto."

"-_perverted_ moves on Iruka-sensei-"

"Shut up, usuratonkachi." He gave a sharp cuff to the back of the blond head, just to be sure he'd stop talking. "I have a plan."

The blond didn't answer immediately, opting to give a retaliatory punch in return first. "Will it stop that bastard from corrupting Iruka-sensei?"

"Better. We'll get back at him."

And there was no moment of deciding, the blond's face instantly lit up with the glow only the prospect of revenge could give. "What's the plan?"

* * *

After she'd scolded him for the fifth time about leaving the planning up to the last minute, Kakashi witnessed a side to Sakura he'd rarely seen surface: one of full-blown obsession. The most imperative thing to decide, she reasoned, was where to actually go on their date.

Fancy restaurants and bars were instantly ruled out. "Too public and suggestive for a first date," Was the answer when Kakashi protested. Her glare and a threat to not help at all sufficed to quell any other complaints. They settled on Ichiraku: familiar and ordinary, but it'd put Iruka at ease.

"Flowers?"

"Yes, flowers, Sensei."

"But..."

She insisted. "They'll show you're serious, and make sure that he knows it's a date, rather than an outing." As she said this, Sakura rummaged loudly in a rather large knapsack she'd brought along.

"Won't he know it's a date since I asked him?" His one uncovered eye widened at the extremely thick book she tugged out: Ukki's Alphabetical Guide to Flowers: Fire Country Edition. For a lingering moment, Kakashi idly pondered the possibilities if Sakura were to put this much time and effort into her shinobi training.

The kunoichi rolled her eyes. "Sensei, I've known Iruka-sensei since I began at the Academy. He s probably wondering whether you were serious, or what you're even planning."

* * *

"Shit." Iruka tossed the abused pencil away, scowling at the broken pieces of lead littering his scrolls. For the past hour and a half, the Chuunin had attempted to finish writing his lessons plans. Instead, every few minutes his mind wandered back to his date tonight. Where was Kakashi planning on taking them? What should he wear?

What if this was the Jounin s idea of a big practical joke? Okay, maybe that last thought qualified as overreacting. But still, the Chuunin was nervous, and it was showing on his lesson plans. Crossing out the twenty-second mistake he d made, he pushed away his lesson plans in disgust. That was definitely a lost cause tonight. He glanced at the clock.

Shit! Six thirty. He'd better get dressed.

* * *

And as Iruka was throwing on clothes, a lone Genin was crouched outside in the still evening, watching the building from a convenient bush. Sasuke spared a glance to the boy who landed next to him in the shadows. "Did you get it?"

Naruto snorted, taking a small package out of his pocket moodily and discarding it in front of the Uchiha. "Course I got it. That bastard won't go down without it."  
Taking the small, plastic-wrapped object in hand, the dark-haired Genin placed it quickly into the plain white envelope he'd brought along. Taking out a blue felt pen, he quickly scrawled a few words onto the front, and sealed it with the swipe of his tongue. He paused a moment, reflecting. Was one enough? Maybe he should have told Naruto to get a whole pack. More importantly, was this a good idea? However, his mind insistently reminded him of the humiliation the Jounin had put them through, and his doubts evaporated instantly.

"Okay. Ready?" He nearly grinned at the sight of the blond boy scrubbing vigorously at his eyes, nodding at his reply to his question.

* * *

"It's green." Sakura frowned at the offending piece of cloth before her. "Sensei, it's green."

He scratched at the back of his head sheepishly, picking up the eye-patch, the green eye-patch, slowly. "Well, it was on sale, and it matched with my vests..." At her unrelenting look of disapproval, the Copy Nin tossed it back into the closet. "I could just stick with the hitai-ate."

Murmuring rapidly, Sakura looked over the "approved" pile: a standard-issue dark-blue Jounin shirt, a dark grey jacket, matching pants (freshly laundered), and a single orange orchid blossom. While he had thrown his clothes into the washing machine, she'd darted out for about twenty minutes, returning with a bouquet of twelve orchids, all different colors of the rainbow.

"Why only one?" He hadn't seen the logic of only presenting the Chuunin with a single flower, especially since she'd brought back a dozen.

"If you give a dozen, it'll make Iruka-sensei feel like the woman of the relationship. Give him one, and it'll simply be a..." She'd paused here, turning a bright pink at the word she finally selected. "-cute statement!"

After a few more moments of consideration, Sakura nodded at the several hitai-ate lying in his drawer. They were better than that awful eye patch, she thought. "All right. Choose the cleanest one." She glanced at her watch, lips tugging upwards into a smile. "Great! Fifteen minutes to go! You have just enough time to get dressed, and head on over to his apartment." She glanced dubiously at Kakashi, who was picking up the pile of clothes he was to wear. "You do know where he lives, right?"

And the Copy Nin patted himself mentally on the back for restraining an eye roll, though just barely. Really, she didn't give him enough credit. Of course he knew where Iruka lived. "Oh, I'll find my way well enough." He gave her his usual, whimsical grin and strode out of the living room to change.

* * *

"Coming, coming!" Iruka hastily tugged a black shirt over his head, walking briskly towards his front door. Someone pounded resolutely and loudly at it, barely pausing between strikes. It probably wasn't Kakashi. Besides, it was too early to be the Jounin. After hearing about his constant lack of punctuality from Naruto, he didn t expect the Jounin to show up for another hour or so.

Just as he unlocked the door and turned the knob, the door opened with the force of a small hurricane, nearly knocking over the Chuunin teacher. "What in the-"

"IRUKA-sensei!" An orange blue attached itself to his waist, arms flinging tightly around him. "You're okay!"

Dumb-founded, the brown-haired nin looked confusedly at his favorite student. "Err...shouldn't I be?" He gaped as the boy raised his face, bright blue eyes reddened with both shed and unshed tears, lower lip quivering ominously. "Naruto, what happened?"

"Sensei!" The grip on him tightened. "I know it's not my place to say what you can or can't do, but..." He seemed to choke back a sob. "B-but please be careful! I-I heard Kakashi-bastard talking to some other Jounin about you and a date and I-I..." He trailed off, instead shoving an envelope into his beloved sensei's hand. "You'll need this!" And without another word, the blond darted out of the house, disappearing into the night.

Nonplussed, the Chuunin stood staring at the object in his hand. What was that about? Hesitantly, he turned over the envelope, and eye brow arching in mild confusion.

**_For Iruka-Sensei _**was written hastily across it.

It appeared to be spattered with drops of water; tears? Surely not. Pulling out a kunai, he quickly cut it open, inverting it to shake out a small object.

What?

Rectangular and wrapped in silver foil, it fit roughly into the palm of his hand. However, his cheeks flamed to a remarkable shade of red the second he realized what it was. With a sharp yelp, he dropped the item as if burned.

"GAAAH!" What had Kakashi planned?

Face rivaling the shade of an apple's, Iruka fled back into his bedroom, leaving behind the seemingly innocent foil-wrapped square, upon which seven words were emblazoned:

**Icha Icha Hot Night Condoms: Ramen Flavour.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Slightly AU-ish in this chapter.**

* * *

_Scritch._ Was this .truly happening?

_Screeh_. The tanned hand gripping the whetstone was still trembling in a mix of rage, confusion, and utter embarrassment. A condom. A condom for crap's sake! What could Naruto have possibly heard to compel him to bring his teacher a condom?

_Schlaaa-ck._

Iruka scowled down at the kunai he was huffily sharpening, sighing at the uneven edge to it. Calm down, no need to get angry. At times of stress, Iruka found the act of sharpening weapons to be vastly comforting. It was a control thing.

Just-

He carefully flipped the weapon over.

-need-

Tan hands meticulously dragged the elongated piece of metal precisely against the sharpener.

-to hurt something. However, any bubbling up plan to possibly maim or cause near-fatal harm to certain Jounin was quickly stoppered as a now-ominous chime rang through the apartment. With a yelp, Iruka dropped both the knife and the whetstone, fingers already whisking to form the seals to ensure a speedy escape.

* * *

Kakashi frowned, setting the single flower he'd brought along onto the porch floor. He could have sworn he sensed the Chuunin within the house. However, all that remained now were the faint remnants of chakra. A quick peek with his Sharingan confirmed that no one was within the residence; thus with a small exhalation of confusion, the Jounin sat resolutely on the front steps.

Iruka probably had to run out for something, or perhaps a student came by or he left something at the Academy because certainly Iruka was not standing up Hatake Kakashi on their first date and-

Perhaps out of more exasperation and disappointment than he cared to admit, Kakashi chose at that moment to slump backwards, fully intending to lean against the wooden door. Unfortunately, said door decided to rebel against the legendary Copy Ninja, and open inwards. With the grace that made his famous, Kakashi managed to not pitch over completely. He did, however, wisely put out a hand to steady himself, fingertips grazing the coarse carpet of the apartment's interior.

...wha?

His hand had settled over a small object, most likely dropped there by the Chuunin himself. Probably mistakenly discarded there in his haste to prepare for an amazing night out with Konoha's legendary-

Kakashi wrenched himself from the digression, and back to the matter at hand. Or rather, the object in hand. Now, being the seasoned veteran pervert that he was, Kakashi didn't need to read the cheery orange label on the item to recognize it as a condom. Though, the contraceptive device's specific characteristics were what surprised him.

_Ramen flavored_? Icha-Icha endorsed no less. Wonders never ceased.

By this time, Kakashi had already discovered the envelope lying near the open door, and had already reasoned that it'd been used to contain the condom. It failed, unfortunately, to tell the confused shinobi exactly why these two items were in the teacher's apartment. Was Iruka expecting sex on their first date? Kakashi himself had estimated that the Chuunin wouldn t consider anything remotely sexual until at least four dates, but maybe there was a side to the Academy instructor that he had yet to observe. Surprising, but certainly, definitely not unwelcome.

For a few moments, the silver-haired man held both items carefully balanced in both his hands, a quiet, contemplative look settling in his one-visible eye. It widened slightly after a moment, before he carefully tucked both into a side pocket.  
"Ah." He stood lithely, shifting comfortably back and forth on the balls of his feet as a half-grin shifted his mask. "Well, revenge or repair?"

* * *

Breath in, hold it momentarily.

Exhale slowly.

Iruka told himself to focus solely on controlling his breathing, as well as on masking his chakra signature, as he lay sprawled on the roof of his apartment. He probably could have been more creative in where he'd transferred himself, but he'd almost finished forming the jutsu when he remembered his door wasn't properly shut and locked. Alas, such is life.

He'd felt the Jounin arrive, use a flare of chakra probably to activate the Sharingan, and settle on the steps in front of the door. And if Lady Luck was with him tonight, perhaps the man would get impatient quickly and leave soon. How in the world did he end up in this situation?

Oh wait, he remembered how.

* * *

_**Not too long ago..**_.

It started, Iruka thought, probably early last year. This, though, occurring after the incident at the Chuunin Exams nomination. By then, that little confrontation had become a thing of the past. Iruka tried not to hold grudges. Of course, the key word was tried. And these noble attempts were put to the test during the summer holiday.

School was out, and sunshine filled the streets of Konoha. There seemed to be a universal lull, as there was even a noticeable reduction in the number of available missions. Children and adults alike were enjoying a sudden increase in leisure time, not at all unwelcome.

However, it is also probably wise to note that there was only a reduction in the number of missions. Alas, there were still mission reports to receive, evaluate, return or file. This meant, of course, several hapless souls were dragged into Mission Room duty, sitting only to forlornly faze at the teasingly bright blue sky. Iruka, the benevolent soul that he was, most often ended up in this position, dutifully accepting the usual sloppy scrolls and putting them in their appropriate place.

Kakashi, the unlucky soul that he happened to be that day, was assigned to temporary mission room duty on account of a cracked rib he'd come back with on one assignment. Perhaps he could have wheedled his way out in the sneaky manner that all high-level Jounin possessed, but the Copy Nin (in his understandable post-mission exhaustion) had made a semi-fatal error or reporting to the Hokage with a certain orange book in tow. Tsunade, the tolerant soul that she was, let him off without physical reparations.

And thus, one summer Monday afternoon found a slightly disgruntled Chuunin and a thoroughly bored Jounin jointly manning the assignment desk. Iruka had probably entered with in a relatively good mood. However, having Icha Icha Paradise in such close quarters with a person can really have some drastic effects.

"Kakashi-san?" Iruka intoned at the prone body slumped over the wooden desk. He only got a vague mumble in response, inciting an inevitable roll of the eyes. "Kakashi-san, can you please not sleep while we're only duty? And maybe get that obscene book out of my personal space " The last part had been added in an undertone, with the teacher eyeing the orange cover warily. The book was pure corruption; he was sure of it. Touching it meant he would be tainted forever with its lechery! And heaven forbid someone see him actually holding the book. Then rumors would follow, whispers in the lounge, head shakes from colleagues who "never would have thought he'd read such things," and of course, visits from angry parents. Definitely to be avoided at all costs.

In his complete body slouch, Kakashi had somehow managed to push the little book (formerly sitting a quasi-acceptable distance from Iruka) dangerously close to the edge of the table. As well as dangerously close to Iruka. Said Chuunin sat stiffly, thinking up a thousand different ways that he could wipe the smutty novel from existence. Burning sounded good, but he might accidentally set the desk on fire as well. The Jounin's arm was also in danger of getting damaged by the hypothetical conflagration, but the Academy instructor was quite sure it was expendable in this matter.

The dark-blue clad arm moved again, this time a few inches. Iruka inhaled sharply, watching the book creep ever closer. The next time Jiraiya came to the village, he was going to get a earful from Iruka about the vast, vast amount of resources wasted on the creation of such an evil, perverted little novel that only served to corrupt-

In a mostly-expected motion, Kakashi completed his sprawl with a final, fatal, and lethargic jerk of the arm. And while the Jounin wasn't watching the results of this action, Iruka certainly was. Time seemed to slow in that short expanse of time, as a gloved hand bumped the book the little distance it needed to tip off the edge of the table and into Iruka's lap-

"Gaaaah!" With a yelp that startled the few other shinobi scattered around the room, Iruka instinctively snatched a kunai out of his holster. In a motion that seemed almost like one action in its fluidity (albeit, born of senseless fright), the Chuunin stopped the book's fall with the kunai, impaling it on the blade, and then tossed it all- book and kunai- right out the open window. He distantly hoped that it didn't hit anyone on its way out.

The pattering of retreating footsteps was what alerted Iruka. He heard the door shut quickly, and deduced that Kakashi had woken up. Woken up grouchy. Therefore, angry. Angry Kakashi usually was not a good thing to be around, and the other nin had sensibly retreated to safer rooms. For a passing moment, Iruka idly wondered what god he had offended to have such an ill-fated day.

" ...Did you -" Gracefully, the Jounin got up from his seat and strolled quickly, cat-like, to the window. A glance down into the street confirmed his suspicions. "- just throw my book out the window?"

The Copy Ninja's expression was unreadable, but that wasn't too abnormal. Iruka found himself nodding nervously, before he reminded himself that his actions were perfectly reasonable (possibly). Really, what had Kakashi expected any respectable teacher to do?

"Well...yes." He paused to select his next words wisely. The situation was a delicate one, and he needed to be apologetic yet forceful: sorry for damaging Kakashi's property, but indignant about the presence of pornographic literature in the-

"Hm." Kakashi straightened up, and turned away from the window. Shoving gloved hands into his pocket, he started for the door. "Well? Let's go."

"Uh." Iruka blinked several times before his mind reached the conclusion that Kakashi would not inflict bodily harm on him within the immediate future. "Go where?"

The Jounin was already halfway out the door, adjusting his hitai-ate. "Bookstore. You're buying me a new copy."

The Chuunin could have sworn he saw the hints of a grin on the Copy Ninja's masked face. Unfortunately, he also knew Kakashi wasn't joking.

* * *

It should have been a thoroughly enjoyable day. Birds were calling, children ran about playing in the streets. And the golden summer sun smiled gently and warmly down on the village of Konoha. All these wonderful details, however, were completely and utterly lost on Umino Iruka, however.

He had tried his hardest, he really had.

"Our shift isn't over yet and-"

"There's about fifteen minutes left in our shift, and by the time anyone realizes we're gone, that fifteen minutes would have passed already. Stop stalling, sensei."

"C-couldn't we go some other-"

"I kinda want my book now."

A roll of eyes. "I think it'd be more um...discreet if we err...went later..."

The one uncovered eye rolled back. "How later? After dark, later?"

"Yes!"

A barely perceptible grin in response. "The bookstore closes at five."

"What if I didn't bring enough money to-"

"You do."

The Chuunin cocked an eyebrow at the nin walking beside him. "And you know that, how?"

"I checked your pockets."

"You checked my WHAT?"

"Pockets. Your pockets. You know, where you keep your wallet. Cute picture of my team on the inside, by the way."

Iruka came to a full stop, spluttering in disbelief. "Y-you stole my wallet?" He instantly started rummaging in his aforementioned pockets.

Kakashi rolled his eyes once more. "I checked it. You still have it, don't you?"

"Yes! But you went through my stuff and looked in my-"

"No, I took it out of your pocket. And then I put it back. Neat, huh?"

Iruka could feel the heat emanating from his cheeks. "T-that's a complete violation of my privacy! What in the world would possess you to steal my wallet from my pocket and look through-"

Kakashi continued strolling down the road in a leisurely fashion, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Iruka has stopped walking. The Chuunin had to jog a bit to catch up and hear the Jounin's nonchalant reply.

"I just borrowed it for a second. And you're buying me a new book!" Iruka could swear the older man was grinning madly beneath that infuriating mask of his. "I didn't want to walk all the way there with you if you couldn't buy it"

Iruka felt his jaw drop open at the sheer audacity the Copy Ninja possessed. The man was shameless, abused his superior shinobi abilities, and was a pervert. Iruka resisted the urge his rub his temples. He felt a headache oncoming, and being in Kakashi's presence wasn't helping much.

With a quiet, frustrated sigh, Iruka looked up ahead. In the distance, he could just make out the outline of one of Konoha's local book stores. It was a nice shop. He'd bought school texts there before. A very nice old lady worked the morning shifts. And apparently, they also sold PORN there. Iruka scowled inwardly, a stray, bitter thought crossing his mind. "I'm never shopping there again."

Gods. What had he done to deserve all this. Maybe there was a porn god. Maybe he'd offended him in some way with his unrelenting objection to all things smutty and Icha Icha. The Chuunin looked up at the bright sun winking cheerily down at them, and his scowl spread to his lips.

"Stupid sun."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Lot of flashbacks, so please note the bolded time indications so as to avoid confusion! 3**

* * *

The minute he'd stepped foot into the brightly lit store, Iruka distantly wished he was still outside in the afternoon sunshine. Now that he was actually in the bookstore, the Chuunin realized something: he had absolutely no idea where the Icha Icha books were kept. He'd been here a number of times to purchase school texts, extra pens and pencils, and the occasional novel that had piqued his interest. There was even a small cooler of chilled soft drinks in one corner, accompanied by the usual shelf of sugary candies and snacks. But in all previous visits to the quaint shop, he'd never been aware of the presence of any literature of the...lewder nature. He tried to scan aisles as surreptitiously as possible, wincing slightly when he recognized a few faces. The bookstore wasn't too crowded at this time of the day, but he still could pick out a few familiar figures. Two were colleagues he knew by name from the Academy, and one (to his dismay) was a parent to one of his students. Iruka shuddered to think what they would think of him purchasing one of Jiraiya's novels.

He glanced to his side and rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that hour. Kakashi was doing little to help the situation, as usual. The silver-haired man had paused beside the window display of monthly calendars, and was flipping unashamedly through a swimsuit edition, no less.

The Jounin caught his exasperated glance and replaced the racy calendar with a mischievous (as far as Iruka could tell anyways. That mask was beginning to get on his already frayed nerves) smirk, commenting idly, "The Icha Icha calendars are much better." He started to flip though a dog-themed one. "But only long-time subscribers receive one." The scandalized look on Iruka's face only seemed to amuse him further. "Well, sensei? The book isn't going to buy itself, you know."

The Chuunin wasn't sure whether to scowl, flush, or run out the door in hysterics. Truth be told, the third option was sounding extremely appealing at the moment. Against his better judgment, Iruka gathered up his nerves and asked as composedly and quietly as he could manage, "Umm..where exactly are the...books...?"

Iruka thought he'd asked the question with admirable calmness, but the Copy Ninja still chuckled, causing him to frown. "What?"

"I'm surprised, Iruka-sensei." Kakashi pushed calmly past the increasingly irate Chuunin, making for the cash register. "I'd have thought a person such as yourself would know about this store's... _special _selections." The dark material over his face barely concealed the wide smirk stretching his lips.

Iruka felt his face heat, turning to reluctantly follow the taller man. "And what is that supposed to mean," he hissed, incensed.

Kakashi didn't reply, opting instead to smile at the teenaged girl behind the counter. "Hi. The usual."

She seemed to be familiar with the Jounin s ways, grinning at his request and brushing back light blue locks of hair. Her bright eyes spotted Iruka standing nervously beside Kakashi, and she inquired, "Both of you, Hatake-san?"

At this, the Jounin s grin widened. "Oh yes, thank you."

Iruka felt shame color further his already flaming cheeks. It only deepened when the cashier gave him a cheeky wink. He glanced at her name tag. 'Yuki'. Great. He was surrounded by perverts.

The Chuunin glanced helplessly towards the door. He was never, ever, going to shop here again. He caught a flicker of motion, and watched as Yuki pressed a switch beneath the wooden counter. He heard a faint click from the door behind her, and almost fled from the evil store right then and there when she leaned forward momentarily to whisper, "Enjoy, sirs."

* * *

_**Presently...**_

Now Iruka shifted slightly, tucking an arm under his head and letting out a quiet sigh. He could sense Kakashi still lurking, waiting on his doorstep, and he wasn't sure how to react. He found it almost ironic that in many ways, this had all started with (and still involved...) the notorious Icha Icha book series. In hindsight, the Chuunin thought it was funny how in so many characteristics, Kakashi was just like Jiraiya's prized books. To everyone, his exterior was obvious and single-faceted: infamous shinobi, deadly in battle; the silver-haired man was also one of the village's most recognized perverts. While certainly not on par with Jiraiya s level of perversion, he wasn t exactly hiding it either. Kakashi externally was simple and unassuming, just like his favorite novel's bright orange covers.

However, Hatake Kakashi was much, much more than what met the eyes. Like a book, like a good story, he was convoluted, intriguing. Kakashi was non-linear and could not be understood all at once. And like Icha Icha Paradise- as Iruka learned on that memorable day- Hatake Kakashi was not a man that could be judged by his cover.

* * *

_**Then...**_

The one good thing about this hellish day, Iruka thought, was the blessed emptiness of the room: they were the only customers inside. Well, as far as he could see anyways. The room they entered was fairly small, with just enough space for a few rows of shelves. The walls had been papered with a pattern-less, dark blue wallpaper, accompanied by a carpeting of identical color. In fact, if he hadn't already known what the shelves contained, he might have thought he was entering a small, dimly lit library. The shelves were about a foot taller than him; he could reach easily to the topmost books. Made of a dark, polished wood, they stretched along three-quarters of the wall space. Two free-standing ones rested in the middle of the room, parallel to one another.

A soft click behind him caused him to whirl around, startled. Kakashi arched an eyebrow at him, his hand resting on the doorknob. "Just closing the door, sensei." The cloth over his face twitched, accommodating a sudden smirk. "Wouldn't want anyone walking in on us."

The Chuunin stood uneasily, watching Kakashi make his way calmly to the nearest bookshelf. "Walk in on what, exactly?" The older man had selected a random book off the shelf, and seemed to be skimming its contents. He'd assumed that they would walk in, the Jounin would pick the book, Iruka would pay for it, and they'd leave, never to speak about the incident again. However, by the looks of things, Kakashi had every intention of staying and reading every single book that enticed his lewd interest.

"You seem impatient, Iruka-sensei." The brown-haired nin frowned, but Kakashi seemed to have guessed what was on his mind. "Picking a good book takes time, much like choosing the right move in battle. Too little deliberation and you may regret your move. Too much, however, and you might deliberate away the better option." He put the book he'd been perusing back in its spot on the shelf. After a few moments of contemplation, he picked another one a few inches away and began skimming this as well.

The Chuunin snorted. "With all due respect, Kakashi-sensei, I don't see how much 'deliberation' is needed to select a..." He paused. Would the Jounin be offended at him being so blunt?

Fortunately, the Copy Ninja seemed merely amused. "Have you ever read the Icha Icha series, sensei?"

Iruka gaped, dumbfounded at what the other nin was asking. That moment of hesitation proved to be his undoing. Mentally, anyways.

Before he could utter a word of protest, Kakashi had moved to his side. The Chuunin stiffened, shocked as the Copy Nin wound his left arm around his shoulders, gripping a book in hand. Effectively, Iruka was trapped, and Icha Icha Paradise was staring him in the face.

* * *

_**Again, Now...**_

Now Kakashi glared at the items in his hands, his battle-sharp intellect calculating. He had to admit, he hadn't expected sabotage when planning this date. But they had much to learn. His glance shifted to focus on the envelope, and the silver-haired man snorted. Honestly. How many times had Kakashi seen Sasuke's handwriting as a result of just their latest assignment? He'd instantly recognized that cramped and brisk writing.

Shifting his stare, the Jounin rolled his eyes at the condom. Clearly, Sasuke had been unwilling to procure the condom; he doubted he'd be caught dead with a ramen-flavored one of all things. Only Naruto would be so food-minded in his schemes. A lesser instructor would have been embarrassed by such sloppiness exhibited by their two students, but Hatake Kakashi knew better. After all, Kakashi tenet #5 stated clearly to let no opportunities pass you by. When given lemons, would Konoha's legendary Copy Ninja make lemonade? No sir, he preferred orange juice. But that was beside the point. The point was Sasuke and Naruto weren't going to be given just a run-of-the-mill D-rank mission as punishment. No sir. They'd rightfully earned a Kakashi-style torture ride.

He jumped nimbly to his feet, crumpling the envelope and the condom in his fist. "Damn right."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Writing the first part of this chapter made me feel ridiculous... ^_^;;  
**

* * *

_**Back Then...**_

_Princess Nadeshiko smoothed the front of her kimono, its silver-white folds crisply silent. Her eyes looked everywhere, except at the dark figure kneeling before her. "Please, Nakamura-sama, don't do this to me." Her musical voice was woeful, pale hands clasped before her in a plea._

_Shin's bright green eyes never left her face as she spoke, his hands lightly gripping the sheathed sword in his lap. "My lady, I have faced more than any other man so that I may bask in your presence." Nadeshiko tried to turn away, but he caught her pale hand in his calloused one. "Just as I swore I would all those years ago."_

_She shivered, but did not draw her hand away. "We were children, Shin," she whispered. "What am I but a bird in a gilded cage? I cannot make you happy." The princess met his intense gaze at last, almost faltering at the emotion within them. "My father will stop at nothing to have you put away! My love, if you stay here...I fear the worst for you."_

_He tried to rise, but she placed a soft finger on his lips. "My life is not my own to give. Why do you persist so?"_

_Fluidly, in a motion that made the princess gasp, Shin swept her into his arms. She twisted slightly, managing to sit on his lap, rather than straddle him, as she suspected had been his intention. Nadeshiko looked at him as sternly as she could manage from her seating. "Awful as ever."_

_He merely chuckled, placing a cheeky kiss to her ear. "Listen to me, dearest." He breathed low into her ear, watching black strands of hair sway gently. "I endured my exile, at your father's command, in hopes that time and distance might whittle away at my need for you." Shin slid a hand up the smooth kimono folds, tracing an outline of her shapely legs. He smirked when she shivered in his arms, but didn't protest. "I've seen nothing but the brutish side of existence for years. It should have driven me mad, but all it did was rob me of times of happiness I should have spent at your side."_

_The warrior drew her closer, her smaller form flush against him. "My lady, you fail to realize that your love means everything to me. I've seen too much of the sword and of bloodshed, of death and the darker side of humanity to be perfectly at peace, but..." He dipped his head, nudging his lips against her warm cheek. "The memory of you, Princess, brings quiet to my battered soul." Meeting no resistance, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, lingering long enough too draw a quiet moan from her. "Love and its acts can keep even the mightiest savage at bay." Shin's hand found the edge of her kimono, and slipped two fingers under the white cloth. When she didn't protest, he slowly, inch by inch, slid the silken garment off her shoulders. "Let me show you the unparalleled delight that your mere touch inspires." He felt Nadeshiko relax in his arms, assenting with a fierce blush in her cheeks. "Let me show you heaven on Earth, my darling."_

_Nadeshiko gasped, small hands holding onto his broad shoulders as hot lips found the bare skin of her neck, and gentle, battle-worn hands slid up her belly to caress the soft flesh of her bountiful-_

Iruka jerked as Kakashi snapped the book shut, a smile curving his lips. "Good eh?"

He scowled, trying to get out from under Kakashis arm. "Okay, is that the one you want? Let's get out of-"

"But Sensei, you didn't tell me what you think of it yet." Kakashis grip didn't budge, firmly trapping the other man in place. "Personally, I think this is one of Jiraiyas better works. If you just read a little further it-"

The Chuunin balked, once again trying to escape from the Jounins grip. "No, I think I've read enough for-"

"But just a few paragraphs further and there's this really-"

Iruka paled as Kakashi started to open the book again and move it towards his eyes. He had a pretty good idea where the story had been going and he had no desire to actually see it with his own two eyes.

"See this is the part where the princess-" Kakashi blinked as a cloud of smoke suddenly enshrouded the Chuunin, leaving in his place a wooden log. "Did you just," He glanced around the room, and found the other man crouched nervously in a far corner. "Did you just use...substitution to get away?" A wide grin stretched his lips.

Iruka straightened up, trying his best not to turn redder than he already was. "Um, I think you seem to enjoy that one so..." He seethed inwardly: this was quite possibly the most embarrassing moment of his life. However, he should stand strong! He was a Chuunin, dammit. He should not let a BOOK of all things frighten him off from-

"But Iruka-sensei, you haven't read these three other books I wanted your opinion on!" Kakashi started to approach the nervous man, brandishing three orange volumes.

"GAH!" Before Kakashi could react, Iruka took his wallet out, hastily threw a few bills at the Jounin, tore open the room door, and escaped into the sunlit streets of Konoha. In the back of his mind, Iruka was aware this wasn t exactly the most dignified of reactions. However, it was certainly the lesser of two evils.

The Copy Nin blinked twice, watching the money Iruka had thrown float lazily to the floor. The Chuunin was faster than he'd expected. Hm. That was interesting. He picked up the bills off the floor. "Oh, he gave me too much!" Placing the other three books back on the shelf, Kakashi made his way happily back to the cashier.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Whew, this took a while. Hope you guys enjoy this; I'm not really sure because only 3 people took the time to review since this story's revamp. But thank you to those who did! I appreciate your comments and dedicate this chapter to you guys (maethebellydancer, iNsAnE nO bAkA, Sonar). XOXO~**

**Slightly spoiler-ish for those who haven't read far in the manga (especially _Kakashi Gaiden_)**

**As always, feel free to hit me up with any questions, comments and/or concerns. You can also find me at my blog (my homepage). Currently I'm trying to finish some...lemons...and they'll be posted there.  
**

* * *

And while Kakashi was happily purchasing his new book, Iruka had run haphazardly through the village until his legs refused to carry him any further. He couldn't sense the Jounins chakra anywhere nearby, so it was probably safe. Exhausted, he stopped and looked around. Thankfully, it was quiet here. Vaguely, he noticed that in his panic, he'd eventually followed the familiar path to the memorial. Iruka came here regularly, to reflect on his life and his parents, and to pay tribute to the departed heroes of Konoha. He always felt a great calm coming here, and he felt it now, in the presence of his fallen comrades.

Once out of that stifling room, the Chuunin felt calm finally seep into him.

Approaching the memorial, Iruka crouched and once again traced fingertips over the engraved names of those gone too soon. He thought of his mother and wondered what she'd say if she could see him now. She'd probably be amused and say something like,_ you ran away from some books?_

"I can't believe you ran away from some books." A voiced drawled from behind him.

Only slightly surprised, Iruka glanced over his shoulder to see Kakashi slouched a bit behind him. Unwittingly, he felt a smirk tug at his mouth. 'Yes, that thought occurred to me as well." He probably ought to be embarrassed but it was easier to be calm here, away from walls of smutty literature.

Gravel crunched softly as the Jounin approached slowly, until he too was standing before the monument stone. "_Icha Icha_ isn't that bad, you know." He rummaged in a pocket, bringing out a few bills and coins. "Here's your change.'

Iruka felt an uncontrolled bark of laughter escape him, and he pocketed the money with a smile. "Thank you, Kakashi-san."

"Just Kakashi is fine."

The Chuunin stole a sideways glance at the other man. The Jounin was noticeably different here in this most solemn of settings. He'd never seen the man so still. As Iruka watched, Kakashi reached out a hand, pressing fingers fondly over a name: _Uchiha Obito_. Iruka felt a question form on the tip of his tongue, but he restrained it. He wasn't sure if the Jounin would take kindly to such a personal inquiry.

Kakashi however, seemed to sense the unasked question. "He was my best friend." He didn't meet Iruka's startled gaze, instead moving his fingers over another pair of engravings. "Your parents?" Iruka nodded. He expected Kakashi to probe, but the man remained silent, pausing a while longer over the names before withdrawing his hand. On reflex it seemed, Kakashi rubbed a finger over his hitai-ate, over his left eye.

The motion was not lost on Iruka, who glanced from Kakashi's covered eye to Obito's name on the stone. _So that's where…the Sharingan_.

He stood up straight, wondering if he should leave Kakashi to his reflections or if the man expected him to converse with him further. As Iruka waited there, he noticed a flash of orange peeking out from one of the Jounin's vest pockets. "Can I ask you a question, Kakashi-san?"

It was another moment before the other man responded, his gaze lingering on the monument. "Sure, what's up."

"Why do you read those…books?" A voice in the back of his head chided him on asking such a direct question, but it was too late to take it back.

Not surprisingly, Kakashi smiled. It was just a small one though, not his usual mischievous smirk. The Copy Nin shifted, pushing hands into his pockets and slouching slightly. "I don't know if you know this, but I was very young when I became a ninja."

Iruka nodded. Who in this village hadn't heard the rumors? The tale of young prodigy Kakashi had almost become legend in Konoha. He'd become Chuunin when Iruka and his friends had still been pretending to be ninjas in their play, and Jounin when most of his peers were still in the Academy. Being under the tutelage of the Fourth and his acquisition of the Sharingan elevated his status to near mythical. Iruka had also heard dark whispers of his accomplishments while in the ANBU.

"Sometimes, I wonder if we become soldiers too young. For the good of the village, we kill and we sacrifice." Kakashi rested a hand over the top of the memorial stone. "Duty can be the greatest of joys." Pausing, he let his fingertips once again slide over the carved names. "But it can also be the deepest of sorrows." His gaze finally turned back to Iruka. "I believe in enjoying life however possible. Between missions and training my team, I don't have a lot of time for hobbies."

He said no more, but Iruka understood. Some people read novels, some people read magazines. Hatake Kakashi read porn. It kept him sane, and anchored him against the harsh life of the ninja. He'd never thought of it that way. He'd never thought of the Copy Ninja that way.

Kakashi seemed to sense where Iruka's train of thought had gone, and he smirked. "Don't look so surprised, sensei. You should know better than to judge a book by its cover."

* * *

**Now...**

Loud scuffling jolted Iruka from his reverie, and he slowly stretched his awareness, detecting several chakra signatures near his apartment. Cautiously, he peeked over the edge of the building down into the street.

Kakashi stood at the front of the building, arms crossed in front of his chest. His attention was focused on the foliage on the side of the road, which was shaking rather alarmingly. Curses and yells seemed to be emitting from the largest bush, punctuated by growls and the snapping of branches. The Chuunin sighed. What would his neighbors think?

"LET GO, YOU BASTARD!" Naruto suddenly appeared, dragged out feet first by what Iruka recognized as one of Kakashi's larger ninken. The blond struggled furiously, but the dog kept his teeth locked firmly on a shoe, finally dumping the boy unceremoniously at its master's feet. A minute later, a second dog came out of the bushes, this time dragging Sasuke out behind it. The Uchiha too was scrabbling at the branches and ground trying to get away, but ended up in a pile next to Naruto. Thoroughly caught, the two Genins looked up at their sensei agitatedly.

"What gives, you bastard! Why are you setting your mangy dogs on us?" Naruto poked an angry finger at the Jounin. Iruka almost laughed. Typical Naruto, defiant and loud to the end.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "And what exactly were you two idiots doing in those bushes?" He smirked, glancing over at Sasuke fuming at his feet. "Were you guys making out again?" As Naruto started to splutter with predictable rage, the Jounin threw the envelope and condom at his head. "You guys are getting sloppy. Even a five-year-old could see right through this. What kind of ninja are you supposed to be?"

Naruto leapt to his feet. "This is all YOUR fault anyways! If you hadn't sent us on that stupid mission in the first place we-"

The Jounin waved a hand nonchalantly. "If you're going to sabotage a date, at least do it right. What's the point of being a ninja if you're caught so easily?"

Iruka blinked. So Naruto and Sasuke…had been behind that all along?

Sasuke suddenly straightened up, staring intently at Kakashi. "Shit." He jumped to his feet. "Dammit, he tricked us, dobe."

"What the hell are you talking about, asshole?"

The dark-haired boy pointed at the Jounin. "Why is he rambling on and on? Kakashi normally would just start some sort of punishment and explain later."

On the roof, Iruka peered closely at the silver-haired man. Huh. It was a shadow clone. He hadn't even noticed Kakashi switch himself with a bunshin. Where had the real Kakashi gone?

'Kakashi' grinned. "Maybe there's hope for you after all, Sasuke." The clone held up two fingers in victory. "Good luck getting to sleep tonight." At their confused looks, he sighed. "Okay, you two idiots deserve a sporting chance. One of your houses is booby-trapped. The other is not. Have fun figuring out which it is!" And with a final smirk, the clone disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"What the hell! What is that supposed to mean!"

"Idiot, he was distracting us." Sasuke berated himself mentally for falling right for it. Stupid stupid stupid! "He made that bunshin to summon the dogs and keep us here while the real one went to one of our houses to set up traps!" The Uchiha groaned. This had been a bad idea from the start. Now the Jounin would probably make the next month or so a living hell for the two of them. Dejectedly, Sasuke turned and started down the street.

'Hey! Where are you going, teme!"

He didn't bother turning. "Home. Kakashi said only one of our places was rigged." He smirked as Naruto ran up next to him. "And I'd bet he did yours, seeing as you're the one who got caught spying on Iruka and bought the ramen condom."

The blond stopped dead in his tracks. Shit. Sasuke was right. "Wait, Sasuke!" He ran to catch up. "Let me stay over tonight!" There was no way he was going to spend all night dodging traps.

"What? No!"

"C'mon, you asshole!"

Iruka watched as the pair made their briskly toward the Uchiha family compound, bickering all the way. What had he gotten himself into? First spying, now sabotage? He felt mildly appalled by Kakashi's teaching methods. He was definitely well on his way to driving Team Seven crazy. Straightening, he gathered his chakra to his feet, and leapt onto the neighboring roof. It would probably be a good idea to make sure those two idiots were okay though. Knowing the Copy Ninja, he probably lied and rigged both their homes. As he jumped from roof to roof in pursuit of the two Genin, Iruka wondered where the Jounin had disappeared off to. Maybe their date wasn't very important to him?

Well okay, Iruka had poofed when the older man had arrived, but still! He could have at least waited a bit…

A sudden, shrill scream shattered the still evening, tearing Iruka away from his thoughts. Landing on the building directly across from the Uchiha residence, the Chuunin looked down amusedly.

Naruto and Sasuke stood in the doorway, covered from head to toe with pink…stuff. Iruka guessed it was some sort of gelatin. Except far stickier, judging from the curses coming from the blond's mouth and his futile attempts to wipe it off. Sasuke was scowling at an empty bucket hanging over the open door, apparently the source of their pinkness. It looked like Sasuke had been wrong in his assumption. He stifled a laugh, unsure if he should feel sorry for them or be amused.

"Wait til they try to go into the bathroom, it'll get really funny then."

Iruka whirled around, startled. Sitting contentedly a few feet away was none other than Kakashi. In the darkness it was hard to tell, but the Chuunin thought he looked extremely pleased with himself. The Jounin patted the space next to him. "Pull up a bit of roof, sensei."

Hesitating a moment, Iruka slowly sat down next to the older man. "So…" Down below, another yell pierced the night, but he ignored it for now.

"So." Kakashi pulled out a large paper bag. "Things didn't go quite according to plan." He drew out a plastic container and a pair of chopsticks, handing both over to Iruka.

The Chuunin snorted, opening the container. He stared at its contents in surprise. Take-out ramen. He watched in amazement as the silver-haired man also brought out little plastic cups and a bottle of sake. Filling a cup generously, the Jounin passed it over to Iruka before pouring his own. "However, I hope you find this acceptable."

Iruka felt a smile start, then a blush colored his cheeks. He thanked the gods it was dark. "Thank you, Kakashi," he managed. He distractedly started eating his ramen, hoping Kakashi wouldn't notice his sudden shyness. His consideration was touching, and Iruka was more than a little impressed at his ability to both teach his wayward students a lesson and still make some semblance of a date at the same time.

The Copy Ninja's lone visible eye crinkled in amusement at the embarrassed Chuunin, before turning his attention back to the unfortunate boys down below. "Hm." He squinted through one of the open windows. "I think Naruto managed to dodge the booby-trapped sink." He shrugged nonchalantly. "He won't be so lucky with the toilet."

Iruka laughed, almost choking on his meal. "How did you manage to set up so many so quickly?"

"It wasn't too hard. I sent a bunshin here and a couple to Narutos."

"Narutos?" He quirked an eyebrow. "I thought you said you only rigged one of their houses?"

Kakashi laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I thought it would be a valuable lesson for them to learn. You shouldn't trust what your adversary tells you to be true, after all." Mirth was plainly evident in his voice. "Underneath the underneath, you know."

And Iruka found himself laughing more freely than he had in a while. The Jounin certainly wasn't the most gentle or ethical of instructors, and under normal circumstances, Iruka would've been appalled. Tonight however, under the light of the moon and with a container of ramen in hand, he found himself more open to things. Digging into his meal once more, he looked up as another bang and some more yells shattered the evening. "What happened?"

Kakashi shifted forward a bit, squinting. "Looks like the exploding toilet only got Sasuke. Naruto's trying to escape through the window, but that's a futile endeavor." He glanced over at the other man and smirked. He had an expression that plainly said where-in-the-hell-do-you-learn-to-rig-a-toilet-to-explode. "Hey, I am a genius, after all." In fact, he and the other Jounins had invented some traps that would make the prankster king Naruto Uzumaki green with envy. But the Chuunin didn't need to know that.

Iruka was only mildly surprised to see Kakashi's ramen container already empty, chopsticks stuck neatly inside. He'd heard about the Copy Ninja's eating habits from Naruto and Sakura, but it still amused him to see it up close. At Kakashis last words, he smirked. "Sometimes I think the people in this village give the title of 'genius' too easily." He found himself giving the other man a gaze that was both playful and taunting. Somewhere in the part of his mind that wasn't caught up in the hilarity of this ridiculous date, Iruka was slightly shocked at how he was behaving.

But sitting here on a rooftop with Kakashi somehow brought his usual reserve and polite demeanor crashing down, and...he liked it.

"Maa, so cruel, sensei."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Busy week ;-; Anyone keeping up with the tenets? Don't feel bad if you can't; I keep having to read back over earlier chapters to remember which was which, LOL. The first time I wrote the story, I skipped a number entirely. **

**I'm not sure what happened with this chapter. It became this big ****quasi-****stream of consciousness. My eyes are killin me. :(  
**

**I've been trying to update this more regularly, but I keep getting sidetracked by ideas for one-shots. There's seriously like about 10 half-finished ones sitting in my Doc Manager. Been reading a lot of doujinshi too. ^_^; I'm such a slacker.  
**

**As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**

* * *

Shooting the sun a lazy look of immense contentment, Kakashi strolled leisurely down the street. He had a spring in his step and a song in his heart. Not literally that is. It was just that the previous statement was a phrase he didn't often get to use, and today seemed like the perfect day to exercise it. But back to the point: Kakashi was satisfied.

He'd run through last night's events in his mind over breakfast, and concluded that while many things had been done on the fly, it had turned out to be a successful evening. Despite the best efforts of the two morons he called his students to ruin it, the date had gone surprisingly well. He and Iruka had enjoyed rather pleasant conversation on a comfortable rooftop, all the while serenaded by Naruto and Sasuke's yelps and screams. And the Chuunin had been surprisingly okay with it all. This alone made the older man realize that there was still a lot about Umino Iruka that he had yet to uncover. At first, the Academy instructor's overprotective and caring yet defiant demeanor had piqued his interest. But last night, he'd gotten a glimpse of a playful, sarcastic side that practically reeled him in. So it went without saying that he was eager for a second date.

Which hadn't been set yet. Iruka had excused himself early last night, which was understandable since he had mission room duty early this morning. But Kakashi had also opted to not request a second date. Yet.

Without a sound, the elite Jounin leaped gracefully to the roof of his apartment. Sitting back against the slanted tiles, he rummaged in a side pocket before bringing out his trademark novel. Opening it, he propped an elbow on a knee. To the casual observer, it seemed like the Copy Ninja was wholly engrossed with the book. In reality though, the man was deep in thought. Call it strange, but he'd done some of his best thinking in this position. Something about being here, porn in hand, was highly conducive to good ideas. Perhaps it was the fresh air. Perhaps it was the book. Whatever the reason, Kakashi often sat here for moments or hours, thinking and planning. It was here years ago, while reflecting on a A-rank mission gone horribly wrong, that he'd formulated Kakashi Theology tenet number six.

_Tenet number six: approach every situation with adequate information._

The man was fully aware of the importance of good intel. Good intel kept you ahead of your enemy. It helped you do your job and come home safe. Inadequate information, even the tiniest bit, could be the difference between just a scratch or returning to Konoha missing teammates. There was once a time when a younger, too-confident Kakashi would rush eagerly and heedlessly into battle. But it had cost him too much. It had cost Team Minato their beloved teammate and friend, Obito.

So, since that day, Kakashi taught himself patience. Since that day, Kakashi made sure to never forget what Yondaime-sama and Obito's lives had taught him. Every day, when he woke up, he did not jump out of bed and start the day as soon as he could. Instead, he would pause a few minutes in front of the mirror and study his left eye, Obito's eye. As he watched the three tomoe spin slowly, he would reflect for a short while and review his memory. And instead of hurrying to meet his team, Kakashi always made sure to stop at the memorial, rain or shine, and have a chat with his departed comrades. At first, he hadn't meant to linger so long or lose track of time. But after thinking about it for a bit, he concluded that it was probably a good idea. If nothing else, it would teach his young students patience. Or drive them batshit crazy.

And Kakashi theorized that relationships could be approached in the same logical manner. After all, he sometimes thought that life was like one big mission; he was a shinobi through and through. And his tenets had never failed him.

Whether this worked well when applied to relationships, though, had yet to be determined. The Jounin did not consider himself very experienced in that particular field. It wasn't that he was against relationships; his life just hadn't permitted it until now. Sure, he'd had the occasional fling here and there; but each had been inconsequential and brief. Being a soldier of a country at war didn't exactly encourage making personal commitments. After all, it could be any day that someone you cared about didn't make it back home.

But since taking charge of Team Seven, he suddenly found himself spending more time in the village and less on desolate battlefields. For the first time in a long while, he'd had time to reexamine his life and connections. Besides, didn't he lecture his students regularly on the importance of friendship and teamwork? Didn't he stress the value of bonds between them? And yet, his own bonds were depressingly few. In hindsight, perhaps that contributed to a loneliness within himself that he'd only begun to recognize. And probably, that was why Iruka was so interesting. The Copy Ninja talked about bonds; Iruka actually went out and made them. His young team was proof of both the Chuunin's dedication and was the kind side of Umino Iruka at work.

But he was also a shinobi, one of Konoha's defenders. Elite Jounin that he was, Kakashi had once snuck a peek at Iruka's file; the younger man had five hundred and seventy three missions under his belt, so obviously he was capable. Admittedly, he had assumed the mellow Chuunin hadn't done much field work, so it was a pleasant surprise. The Copy Ninja had learned over the years that on an intimate level, civilians didn't interest him. It wasn't an uncommon sentiment amongst the higher-level ninjas. After all, a fellow shinobi wouldn't ask questions if you suddenly woke up in the middle of the night screaming from a bad mission reawakened by nightmares. A fellow shinobi wouldn't complain if you had to be gone months at a time for a mission.

A fellow shinobi would know the risks of dating another shinobi.

Loss. Capture. _Death_.

It was this thought that made him notice how his life tenets weren't meshing perfectly with his attempts at relationships. If he wanted to separate work from his personal life, wouldn't he be better off courting a non-ninja? The book in his hand drooped a few degrees as he pondered this. How problematic. Tenet five had always held up well until now. But then again, even Minato-sensei had been together with another ninja, Kushina, so perhaps it wasn't a bad thing.

Doubts assuaged, the Jounin glanced back down at _Icha Icha Paradise_. Iruka would be a good addition to his life, this much he was sure of. So understandably, Kakashi wanted to know more about him.

And tenet six made it very clear to him what his next move should be. While Team Seven's reconnoiter mission had brought back decent intel, it didn't meet the Jounin's lofty standards. But such was the difference between a Jounin and mere Genin. Accordingly, the Copy Ninja had decided to invest some additional time into information gathering on a specific Chuunin. Preferably mornings; afternoons Kakashi was usually training, and evenings were reserved for future dates. Besides, he was sure tacking on an extra hour or so of waiting for Team Seven in the mornings wouldn't do them too much harm. And anyways, it was a perfect time since Iruka was usually either teaching classes or manning the mission office early mornings.

Shutting his book with a crisp snap, Kakashi rose to his feet. Cutting a glance at the sun, he estimated he still had an hour before the kids expected him. Just enough time to pop by the bookstore.

* * *

Konohamaru scowled at the thick stack of papers in front of him. All over the room, his classmates had identical stacks and similar expressions on their faces. Iruka-sensei had called this a pop quiz, but it sure looked more like a full-length exam and essay rolled into one to him.

"Okay class, you have an hour to finish your pop quiz! Raise your hand if you have any questions."

Konohamaru took that as an invitation. "Sensei! Why is this pop quiz so long?"

"Just do it." Iruka shot him a menacing glare.

Lowering his hand, the young boy picked up his pencil moodily. "I think sensei needs to get laid," he mumbled to the girl sitting next to him, and they both erupted into giggles.

Without warning, a red marker shot between them, embedding itself in the table mere centimeters from Konohamaru's hand. He yelped, and fell out of his chair as his teacher pointed another writing utensil in his direction. "I heard that. All of you, shut up and do your tests."

Iruka leaned back in his chair, satisfied to see the kids resign themselves to a test, and quiet down. Truthfully, he'd planned a decent lesson for today, but he found he couldn't concentrate. Especially after last night. It wasn't as if he'd never been on a date; but Kakashi was definitely different from most people. He hadn't made it clear about what exactly he was looking for with Iruka. Did he want just a casual relationship? Or a more serious one? He didn't have a problem with either, but thinking about letting the Copy Ninja into his life on a more intimate level gave him butterflies in his stomach.

Intimacy was somewhat of a challenge for Iruka, as it was for most shinobi. Over the years, it had been easier, less heart-wrenching to not get too attached. He had many friends, but few 'significant others' in his past. Such was the result of living the life of a ninja. His previous relationships had reflected this: they'd been nice, but forgettable and short and usually civilians. Of course, the clear exception had been Naruto. Over the years, the blond became almost like a younger brother or son to the Chuunin. Albeit a very ill-behaving, loud, and gluttonous one. However, that in no way prepared Iruka for dealing with Kakashi.

He allowed himself to admit that he was interested in the Jounin. And it wasn't just because of the man's notoriety as Sharingan Kakashi. He was intelligent, yet humble; vastly talented, but he rarely flaunted it. He was also a man with a pain-streaked past, but rather than suffer the rest of his days over it, Kakashi had obviously overcome his obstacles and grown because of it. Personally, Iruka found that to be his most admirable trait. On the other hand though, he was often childish, as last night had exemplified. Iruka theorized that it resulted from growing up too fast. Not that he'd ever say that to Kakashi's face.

Closing his eyes, Iruka drew in a slow breath, letting his mind go blank. It was a technique they'd taught to all the Academy instructors: to mentally break down problems and questions into small, manageable ideas. So he waited a heartbeat as thoughts slowly trickled back into his consciousness.

He was interested in Kakashi. That was something he wouldn't deny. The fact that he was attracted to another man didn't surprise Iruka. He'd always been a very logical person, and he thought it made sense to be attracted to someone who also walked the road of a shinobi. Granted, Kakashi was a much better ninja than he was, but the thought was still valid. Besides, he'd always wanted to be a ninja since he was young, and the death of his parents had only fueled that desire. It felt natural to want someone who understood his line of work. In a way, he saw a bit of himself in the son of the White Fang, now that he thought about it. Both orphaned and busy as ninjas, but both undeniably lonely.

No doubt about it though, the Jounin was somewhat of an exasperation to him. Lack of punctuality, illegible handwriting on mission reports, poor choice in literature...these only started the list. However, Iruka was a firm believer in giving chances; it made him a good teacher. The best example of this was undoubtedly Naruto. And similarly, he concluded that Hatake Kakashi deserved a chance at his trust.

Hopefully he wouldn't regret it.

* * *

Peering into the brightly lit interior of the refrigerator, Kakashi took note of its contents. Milk, juice, fruit and veggies. The usual stuff. What stood out to the Copy Ninja was several take-out containers of ramen. Obviously, Iruka and Naruto shared a penchant for same type of food. The freezer was unremarkable, and he closed the door on frozen vegetables and a box of green tea ice cream. Smirking at the dolphin magnet (clearly a gift from someone, as he doubted Iruka would purchase himself such an item) attached to the fridge door, he turned to survey the rest of the kitchen. Iruka definitely was tidy, and Kakashi made note of that in his newly purchased notebook. It was black with a stiff binding and perfectly sized to fit into a vest pocket.

It had been easy getting into the teacher's apartment. He'd simply picked the lock and deactivated the trap jutsu in place over the door. While such a trap might deter most civilians, thieves, and low-level ninjas, Iruka probably never expected someone of Kakashi's caliber to break into his home. Which Kakashi considered to be to his benefit: the man would never suspect a thing.

A pile of mail was stacked neatly on the wooden kitchen table, which he found to be the usual assortment of bills, advertisements, and letters from acquaintances. More interesting was the large cork-board on the wall, hanging next to the fridge. It perfectly illustrated the picky, organized side of Iruka (Kakashi would normally call this _anal_). There were many notes pinned neatly to the surface, reminders to buy this or do that, receipts, important dates to remember. Many pictures of former and current students took up almost half the space. He picked one off the wall. It was a recent one of himself with his team. It brought a smile to his lips as Kakashi placed it back on the board. As he was pinning the photo back, he noticed there was a piece of paper in the center, nearly obscured by all the pictures. It was from one of those quote-a-day calendar things that Kakashi didn't bother with because he didn't see the sense in peeling off a sheet of paper each day. But he leaned in to read the quote Iruka had selected to accompany the photographs.

_"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."_  
**- Ryunosuke Satoro**

And Kakashi felt a genuine smile pull at his lips. Iruka was interesting indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hope you're enjoying the story so far, and thank you very much to those who took the time to review! I swear I'll finish more chapters soon, and stop churning out so many one-shots. Been reading the latest chapters of the manga as soon as it comes out, cause I'm super worried that Kishimoto might kill off Iruka or Kakashi. Seriously, I about raged out during the Invasion of Pain arc. ^_^;**

**I got a review that said that the person felt the story was getting too silly in recent chapters, and didn't match with the early chapters/story summary (anonymous review, so I have to reply here). In hindsight, I think that's a very good observation, and probably true. To me, this is still truly a work-in-progress. As some of you might know, I first started this fic in 2005 (6 years ago! o_O), took a break for a few years due to work and life, and only recently picked it back up, so there is a noticeable difference between the early chapters and the new ones. Make no mistake, I intended this fic to examine Iruka and Kakashi on a analytical level (and throw them in bed together eventually). On the other hand, I love comic relief. After all, love is both serious and lighthearted. So, there will be seriousness and theorizing, but there will be some silly fun too! I hope this doesn't put off too many people. And to my anonymous reviewer, thank you for a well rounded review! An honest critique is invaluable to writers, and I greatly appreciate it.**

**And to everyone else who reviewed, faved or watched, thank you for your support! Hugs~  
**

* * *

.

Now, a normal person might have felt slightly guilty about infiltrating an acquaintance's home and privacy, but it was an established fact that Kakashi was not a normal person. He wholly believed in the adage that said something about what a person doesn't know, can't hurt them. Or, pretty much: if Iruka never found out, it was a win-win. Undeniably, there was the off chance that Iruka _would _find out and would be mad as a result, but the Copy Ninja was a man very used to taking risks. And in his opinion, life was more interesting with frivolous risks.

Turning away from the photographs, Kakashi glanced around the rest of the apartment. There were two entrances- a front door and the side door in the kitchen which he'd entered through- and several decent-sized windows looking out onto the street. The kitchen opened up into the living room, and the Jounin scanned his eyes over the ordinary furniture and crammed bookshelves. He could see a narrow hallway at the other end of the space that probably led to the bathroom and bedroom, if it was anything like the other bachelor apartments he'd been in. _Tidy, but not obsessively so. Thank god_, he scribbled quickly into his notebook. On one wall was a large framed picture of a famous local hot spring, looking serene and inviting under a setting sun and clouds. _Likes hot springs?_ Something to remember, definitely. The coffee table was littered with stacks of papers, scrolls, and pens. Obviously, Iruka did his grading there.

He considered taking a peek into the Chuunin's bathroom and bedroom, but a glance at a clock on the wall told him to not risk it. It was almost noon, and the morning shift in the mission room would end soon. Next time then. Fluidly, Kakashi exited the apartment the way he came, effortlessly replacing the wards as he went out. His gaze flickered to the bright sun overhead. The morning was almost over. Just enough time for him to meet his genin team, get some training done, then break for lunch. More to the point, if his estimation was correct, if he kept up a regular schedule of surveillance of Iruka, then he should have sufficient knowledge on the subject within a week. This was taking into account time needed to find and sneak a peek at his ninja dossier, observe his workplace, and maybe interview close acquaintances. Then he could plan out the perfect date that was sure to win over Iruka entirely.

Carefully, he tucked away the small notebook he was already calling "the Iruka Files" in his head. Corny? Perhaps. But Kakashi had learned long ago that a ninja with a sense of humor was a mentally healthy ninja. Mostly, anyways.

* * *

**Iruka File #001**

**- Tidy, but not obsessively so. **

**- Appears to like hot springs.**

**- Cute photos, cute quote in kitchen. Somewhat dorky.**

* * *

"Iruka-sensei!"

The Chuunin turned in his seat, smiling widely at the young Genin running towards him. It was an almost regular routine for them to meet here at the ramen bar, but to see Naruto brought genuine happiness and pride welling up inside him. Not too long ago, he'd been a complete idiot of student, failing time and time ago to graduate from the Academy. Now, he was a blossoming shinobi, taking strong steps towards his dearest dream. Iruka wondered if this was what being a parent felt like. "How was training today?"

The blond took a seat next to his former teacher, eagerly anticipating his meal. "It was great! Kakashi-sensei had us work on taijutsu, and I totally kicked Sasuke-bastard's ass."

On reflex, Iruka frowned and admonished Naruto's language, but the mention of their Jounin leader made his thoughts halt, smile freezing in place. It had been a few days since their date, but he hadn't seen much of the man at all. Normally, this was something that wouldn't have come to his notice; he was a Chuunin and naturally walked in different circles than Kakashi. Usually though, the Copy Ninja would at least walk with his students a ways before departing to do whatever it was Jounin did on their non-mission time. These couple of days though, Naruto had shown up without the silver-haired man. This didn't bother the young boy at all, but it stirred up the beginnings of doubt in Iruka. Maybe Kakashi was avoiding him?

"Yay, time to eat!"

Naruto's enthusiastic shout and the bowl of steaming noodles set in front of him jarred Iruka from his thoughts. Well, he thought, picking up his chopsticks. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

* * *

**Iruka File #021**

**- Likes ramen. A lot. Perhaps a Naruto side-effect? **

**- Hates maze gohan. A lot.**

**- Likes chocolate. Should show him _Icha Icha_ chapter on ways to use chocolate creatively.**

**- Lots of blue boxers. Favorite color?**

**- Condoms, bottom drawer in the bedroom. Don't forget.  
**

* * *

Four days and counting. Sitting glumly in his seat at the mission desk, Iruka was trying his best to think positively, but it was pretty much a lost cause by now. He hadn't seen hide or hair of Kakashi in four days, and now he was almost a hundred percent certain the Jounin was avoiding him. Usually, Team Seven came in together to get and turn in missions. Today however, it had been just Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke coming in for their D-rank assignment, their team leader nowhere in sight. Several times, he'd been on the verge of asking, but clamped down on the impulse almost immediately. It was embarrassing enough that Kakashi was avoiding him without his former students knowing it too. So it was with a forced smile and a few words of encouragement that Iruka handed the three their mission and sent them on their way.

Naruto glanced back at Iruka on their way out. "Does he seem kinda depressed to you?"

His female teammate looked back as well. "Kakashi-sensei's been acting weird too. Maybe they got in a fight?"

* * *

**Iruka File #079**

**- Mediocre at cooking. **

**- Have yet to find someone who knows how he got scar on his face.**

**- Super bad grades as a child. How did he become a teacher?**

**- Uses kunai holster to carry pencils.  
**

* * *

Day five and Kakashi was running out of pages in his notebook. He'd wanted to fit everything into one little volume, but there was a whole slew of info and tidbits about Iruka he'd found out or heard. And elite Jounin that he was, Kakashi did not believe in neglecting to store away any bit of data that might turn out useful. And boy, did he have data.

He'd spent three of the five days combing through Iruka's apartment, noting favorite books, eating habits, anything that hinted at the kind of person Iruka was inside. And he hadn't been disappointed. Squirreled away in drawers, closets, and on shelves were various mementos and trinkets from his former students. Ranging from crayon pictures to holiday cards to roughly shaped clay animals, it was obvious that Umino Iruka was a popular instructor.

And he could see why. Though the man possessed an often explosive temper, Iruka was also a very kind and empathetic person. Each and every single student paper, test, and worksheet that he brought home each day were graded thoroughly. He also made sure to include small notes of praise on stellar work, encouragement for almost perfect assignments, and tips for improvement for the not-so-great ones. Kakashi found himself admiring the devotion that the younger man poured into his work. It was endearing to watch, and positively...sweet. Of course, he couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between his own teaching methods and Iruka's. Kakashi shoved and beat the progress out of those under his tutelage; Iruka coaxed and nurtured with the patience of a mother.

That thought made the Jounin wonder if perhaps that was the underlying cause of his attraction. Intellectually and philosophically, Iruka was different from him. But he exuded a palpable kindness to everyone in his life, attracting and drawing in lost, lonely souls like Naruto and Kakashi. The younger man wasn't unusually strong or skilled as a shinobi, but his presence evoked feelings of security. It felt like home. Watching Iruka these past few days, he'd seen so many acts of genuine concern and selflessness.

He flipped back a few pages in his notebook. Just the other day, Kakashi had been watching the school day end perched high in a tree. As usual, Iruka followed his herd of students out, waving as goodbyes were said and reminders given. One young boy's mother had run late, so the Chuunin patiently sat with the small child for almost an hour, until the tardy parent finally rushed up, apologizing profusely. And Iruka hadn't been annoyed or angry. Just happy that his students all returned home safely. Seeing such a scene awakened a pang of guilt within the Jounin, and he remembered the end of Team Seven's first test and how they'd left Naruto tied to the stump. He had managed to get out eventually, but still.

There once was a time when Kakashi would have scoffed at such gentle methods of teaching budding shinobi; they needed to learn to kill, after all. Not too long ago, he would have openly made fun of Iruka. And in the recent past, he had definitely brusquely brushed aside the man's concern for his students while nominating Team Seven for the Chuunin exam. Iruka was motherly and sappy, to the point where Kakashi wondered if he could be an effective ninja. However, Iruka was also sunny and affectionate, and such warmth had no trouble melting Hatake Kakashi's cold and passive exterior to effortlessly latch on to heart strings.

But above all, the Chuunin had the same values as Kakashi: he cherished each and every single person in his life. He fiercely protected his students. He used every opportunity and event to try and instruct his charges and convey a greater meaning to them.

He made the most of his existence.

Being around Iruka was strangely relaxing, easily distracting him from thoughts about missions and conflict. Instead, his thoughts collapsed into questions: what does he like? What does he hate? Could he love me back?

Kakashi started. That thought surprised him. Was he in love?

Ironically, the silver-haired man didn't have an answer to this question. For once, his logic failed him. He'd spent almost a week uncovering information and learning about Iruka, but he hadn't scratched the surface of his own feelings. Slipping the notebook back into his vest pocket, Kakashi folded his arms over his chest, contemplating. He'd thought he was scrutinizing the Chuunin objectively, but it became apparent that that was not the case. Every small proof of the younger man's compassion or integrity seemed to shine clearly in his eyes now, and it astonished him. The change in his perspective had happened fairly quickly, but had gone unnoticed until now. Even during training with Team Seven, he often caught his mind wandering back to the other man, wondering what he was doing. It was slightly alarming, and most certainly confusing...

But then again, love had always confused him.

* * *

_**Years ago...**_

_**.  
**_

Kakashi stood completely still before the stone, staring. His eyes, one weary and one aching, traced over the names freshly carved into the cold rock. Rain sprinkled down from the cloudy gray sky, saturating his hair, his clothes. But he remained still, aggrieved gaze locked firmly on a single set of carved letters. _Obito, you..._

"Kakashi?" The young shinobi turned slightly as his sensei approached.

Minato stopped next to the young Jounin, hands in his pockets. "You should cover that eye up, Kakashi. The medics said that's the best way to reduce the chakra drain."

"I know." But he still didn't move. His left eye, Obito's eye, throbbed dully, making him slightly dizzy. He made no move to cover it up. Every twinge, every pain reminded him of his dead teammate. He endured every discomfort stoically. He deserved to suffer. After all, Obito was dead because of his mistakes...

The Yellow Flash frowned, eyes full of concern. The youngest Jounin had been quieter and more reserved since returning from the last mission. And while they were all mourning Obito's death, Minato was especially worried about Kakashi.

"I was wrong about him."

Startled, Minato looked sharply at his student. "What?"

"Obito." Kakashi remained still as stone. "I was wrong about Obito." His hands clenched into fists, tense. "I always thought he was weak, that he would never be a strong shinobi. But in the end...he turned out to be stronger than me..."

All of a sudden, Kakashi no longer looked like the stoic, silently efficient ninja he'd worked so hard to be. As his sensei looked down on him, he saw a boy, too young and too full of confusion and grief. Bending down on one knee, the Yellow Flash put a firm hand on the skinny shoulder, turning Kakashi to face him. "Kakashi," he said softly, a sad smile on his face. "Obito died to save two people who were precious to him, who he cared deeply about. He loved the two of you."

The silver-haired boy's eyes widened. "He loved us?"

Pityingly, Minato nodded. "Of course. Kakashi, you might not know it but, we're your friends and not just your teammates. We care about you. And it makes us strong."

"I...don't understand how." Kakashi looked back and forth between the older Jounin and the memorial stone.

"Well," Minato straightened up, his hand still on the young shinobi's shoulder. It made his heart ache to see Kakashi- orphaned at such a young age- struggling with the concept of love. "You will understand bit by bit. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength. Loving someone deeply will give you courage."

Footsteps sounded behind the two men, and they turned to see a woman approaching holding a red umbrella, her long crimson hair fluttering in the cool wind. She rolled her eyes upon seeing the two Jounin, both completely soaked by the rain. "I thought you two idiots were supposed to be geniuses." Kushina stopped behind them, moving the umbrella slightly to accommodate the other two beneath it. "When you two are done collecting rain, let's go home and find some dry clothes and food."

Minato turned to follow her, steering Kakashi to do the same. Kushina walked on his other side, taking the young boy's cold hand in her warm one. "C'mon, Kakashi-kun."

Walking between the two of them, Kakashi looked from Uzumaki Kushina to his sensei. He could see and almost feel the affection between the two like a summer breeze, warming everything around it. Normally, he didn't permit adults to pull him around like a little child. But as Kushina held his hand, he could sense the motherly tenderness emanating from her gentle smile.

And he could see Minato-sensei was right. _Strength and courage_.

.

.

* * *

**Note: ****"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." is a quote by Lao Tzu.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Finally some action. Mwahaha.  
**

* * *

.

Day six and Kakashi was ready. Slightly apprehensive, but mostly ready. He'd followed, observed, learned. And now, it was time to put those days of information gathering to work. He'd decided on a lunch date, preferably something other than ramen. Stowing the small black notebook and_ Icha Icha Paradise_ safely in their own vest pockets, the silver-haired man took note of the sun's position. _About an hour more_. He turned his attention back to his students, who were sweating profusely under the afternoon sun with their latest D-rank mission: cow herding.

He smirked under his mask as Naruto tripped running after a steer and fell into tall grass for the umpteenth time, swearing profusely and muttering darkly about beef ramen.

* * *

Day six and Iruka was undeniably resigned. He was thoroughly tired of agonizing over what he'd supposedly done or said wrong to cause Kakashi to avoid him like a virulent disease. He was sick of looking up hopefully every time someone called out his name, only to be disappointed. He was weary of Naruto, Sakura, and his fellow teachers pointing out his glumness. But above all, he was pissed.

Iruka couldn't believe the gall of the Copy Ninja. _He _was the one who'd went out of his way to bother Iruka. _He _was the one who'd made a move on him. _He _was the one who'd asked him out (well, maybe it was a little bit Iruka's fault). And now after all that, that insufferable Jounin had the audacity to ditch him unceremoniously like yesterday's laundry. Well screw that. Iruka wouldn't stand for it. He would make that cocky, infuriating man pay. He would-

With a sigh, Iruka visibly deflated. Who was he kidding? What was he going to do, beat down the Jounin's door and demand answers? Definitely not. He wasn't that kind of person. No, Iruka was the kind to brush it off, stay collected, and act professionally. Instead of wasting energy fretting over something that hadn't turned out as well as he'd like, he resolved to get over it and get back to normal. No matter how difficult it might be.

He looked wistfully up at the clock. Almost noon. He'd been here in the classroom grading tests since eight in the morning, and his eyes were starting to feel the strain. Fortunately for him, it was the weekend, and his students were probably running around outside on such a beautiful day. A part of him wanted to be outdoors in the sunshine and cool winds too, but alas, such was the life of a teacher. Looking back at the formidable pile of papers, Iruka cringed. Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a lunch break, stretch his legs...

One more glance at the exams left to grade strengthened his resolve, and Iruka rose awkwardly to his feet, wincing. All those hours sitting had really made him sore. Grabbing his keys, he made his way out of the Academy and into the sunny streets of Konoha. For a moment, he paused on the road, debating where to eat at. Ichiraku? Nah, it was too hot out for ramen. Instead, Iruka walked around the corner and into a small cafe that he'd passed by often, but never had the time to try. Today though seemed a good a day as any for something new.

There were long tables inside the restaurant along with smaller, round tables for outdoor seating. He opted for the latter, since the weather was rather pleasant. Unfolding the menu waiting on the tabletop, he started to peruse its offerings. Within a few minutes, a young woman walked out, dressed in a neat waitress attire and black hair tied up into a tidy bun. She approached the Chuunin with a patient smile on her face, eyes brightening in recognition as she drew closer. "Oh! Good afternoon, Iruka-sensei!"

He looked up, feeling a genuine smile spread his lips. "Kotone-san, how nice to see you!" She was the older sister of one of his more...rambunctious students, Toraburu. As he recalled, their parents had both been killed in the last shinobi war, leaving Kotone to care for her baby brother by herself. Such orphans were not uncommon in Konoha, and Iruka did his best to reach out and teach them. For after all, he knew well what it was like to be alone with no parents to lean on. Kotone proved to be a woman of steely inner strength though, working hard to provide for her brother. Nonetheless, Toraburu was a quickly growing young boy, full of mischief and trouble that Iruka had way too much experience with. In fact, just the other day Iruka had caught him attempting to play hooky from class...

"I didn't know you worked here."

"Oh, my friend and I opened this shop together last year, since we both like to cook. And it's convenient too, since Tora-kun can just come by for lunch during the week." She shook her head slightly, reaching into her apron for a pen. "I'm sorry, I keep babbling on. What can I get you, sensei?"

He laughed, feeling slightly more cheerful than he had been the past few days. Maybe this is what he needed to do: talk more with his peers. He'd been doing far too much moping lately. "An order of the _hiya sōmen_, please." Iruka closed the menu and handed it over. "And some _*obimaki enoki_." As she thanked him for his order and hurried back to the kitchen, Iruka leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the clear blue sky, dotted with a few clouds. Really, it was a lovely day; warm with some wonderful breezes

Inevitably, watching the jagged stretches of clouds caused his thoughts to drift back to the one person he was trying _not_ to think about. What exactly had he done wrong? And why had Kakashi initially shown interest only to just abruptly disappear completely from his life? It frustrated him beyond belief, especially since grudgingly, timidly...he'd started to like the other man. Not that it mattered now...

The sound of Kotone's returning footsteps jerked him out of his reverie, and Iruka forced a smile to his face as she set the food down in front of him. "Thank you, Kotone-san." He looked down at the bowls with genuine interest. "It looks delicious."

She smiled, her cheeks reddening with a blush. "You're too kind, Iruka-sensei."

Taking a bite of the chilled noodles, Iruka sighed with appreciation. Perfect flavor, and the coldness was just right for a day like this. Digging in with gusto, he was surprised to see Kotone was still standing at his table. She had the look of someone wanting to say something, but was unsure if it was the proper time to do so.

"Kotone-san? Are you all right?"

"Oh!" She blushed redder. "I'm sorry, sensei. I just wanted to ask you about Tora-kun's recent grades..." She stopped, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm disturbing your meal! Pardon my manners, Iruka-sensei, I-"

Laughing, the Chuunin held up a casual hand, waving off her worry. "No no, it's ok. I'm in no hurry." He gestured at a chair. "Take a seat, please!" Now that she brought it up, Iruka did have several concerns about Toraburu that he'd been wanting to talk to his sister about...

* * *

Perched high and hidden by the leaves in the tall oak tree shading the block, Kakashi gazed coldly down at the two people seated outside the restaurant. He'd noted the young woman's blushing face with growing contempt and a feeling he didn't immediately recognize. Watching Iruka smile back and speak animatedly only made that feeling grow; it burned at his consciousness and muttered dark oaths that he normally did not think of. Jealously was something Kakashi had rarely felt in his life; he thought himself above what he considered to be a childish emotion. But he felt it now, watching some pretty girl chat up the object of his affections. And it surged up uncontrollably, pushing aside logic and reason like a stiff wind batting aside an insect.

Vaguely, he was slightly shocked to feel a mixture of anger, hurt, and indignation swirling beneath the jealously. He was a Jounin, and ought to be more in control of his thoughts and feelings. But the scene before him cut directly at his rapidly beating heart, inducing pangs that he couldn't outright ignore. Illogical, furious thoughts kept pushing up past his mental control, demanding to be heard. Seeing Iruka smile kindly, affectionately at someone other than him...it shattered his reserve efficiently and effectively. Undeniable hurt gripped at his heartstrings; he'd expressed careful interest in the other man, only to be turned away and replaced without warning. But more than that, he thought he'd come to know Iruka well by now.

The anticipation and excitement Kakashi had felt only a few minutes earlier seemed far away now, replaced by a frosty, terribly empty sensation. His fingers ached, and he only just noticed he'd been clenching his hands. Breathing in slowly, Kakashi forced his body to relax, waiting for his pulse to steady.

He was still waiting as Iruka finished his meal. Still watching with a detached fury as the Chuunin paid for the food and spoke a few more minutes with the waitress before finally leaving to head back towards the Academy. It was only when his muscles started throbbing, complaining painfully from standing there so stiffly that he finally moved down from his perch. His single uncovered eye looked in consideration towards the school. The logical part of him urged Kakashi to go and confront Iruka, to find out exactly what was going on. But the jealous, dominant part of him didn't want the other man to see his hurt or shock.

So instead, Kakashi trudged away in the opposite direction with forced casualness. For a while, he meandered aimlessly through the streets of the village, wholly engrossed with his own thoughts. Eventually though, the building frustration became too much. He agitatedly made his way to the edge of Konoha, where the training grounds were. By now, they were mostly empty as people finished their day's training and headed home. Perfect for Kakashi's present mood. Readjusting his gloves slightly, the Jounin stretched for a few minutes before starting to work on some taijutsu.

Anything to distract him from his thoughts.

* * *

.

It was a pleasant evening, crisp and cool with barely a breeze. Iruka opened the window in his kitchen to let in the night air. Today had been productive, and he was happy that he'd managed to finish grading all the papers and tests, which meant his evening was wonderfully free now. Looking out onto the street and the peaceful night, he felt slightly restless. The sun had set, but it was still rather early, and Iruka had energy to spare.

Maybe he should see if Naruto wanted to go out for some ramen. But then again, he wasn't really in the mood for food.

Pulling on his sandals, Iruka decided to go for a jog. Most of the time, he had to work late grading or doing lesson plans, so he didn't get a chance to train as much as he used to. A run and maybe some quick practice at the training grounds would do him some good. Shrugging on his vest, Iruka stepped out, locked the door behind him, and made his way down the street at a brisk trot. A slight breeze pulled at his hair not at all unpleasantly, and gentle moonlight spilled out from behind dark blue clouds.

The problem with just running was that while it kept the body in motion, it didn't do too well at occupying his mind. Unconsciously, his train of thought wandered from if he should go grocery shopping tomorrow to who he should ask to tutor Toraburu to...Kakashi. Just thinking the name made him cringe. It was rather mortifying and embarrassing for him now to remember their one and only date. Things he'd said that he had thought were witty suddenly seemed appalling. Perhaps that was why Kakashi was avoiding him. Perhaps the legendary Sharingan Kakashi realized that he had nothing in common with plain, ordinary Iruka. He probably found the Chuunin to be incredibly boring. Yeah, that was probably it...

He sighed, and shook his head. Iruka hated self-pity, especially when it came from himself. Pushing those thoughts away, he jogged down the path leading to the training fields. He detected no chakra signatures in the vicinity, but it was evening after all. Only the ANBU came out here after dark. Pausing at the base of a tree, Iruka stopped to catch his breath. That jog had left him slightly winded; he should probably work out more. Teaching all day at the Academy wasn't exactly strenuous activity, and it left him with less stamina than he had when he'd first become a Chuunin.

After a few minutes of rest, he straightened up and headed towards the area reserved for target practice. Scarred wooden boards painted with bulls-eyes were nailed to trees, on bushes, and on the ground at varying heights and angles. Most had some kunai and shuriken still stuck to them from the Genin teams practicing there earlier. He reached into his leg holster for his own kunai, gripping three of them loosely in each hand. Closing his eyes for a moment of concentration, Iruka focused the chakra to the soles of his feet, dashing nimbly at tree. With a precise push he propelled himself gracefully into the air, spinning with momentum and throwing his first kunai at a target fixed about 20 meters above him at the top of a tall oak. He heard the dull thunk of metal sinking into wood, and was pleased to see it had hit dead center.

The next kunai, launched at a smaller board nestled between two bushes, was noticeably off-center. The third and fourth were better, though not as flawless as he'd have liked. The fifth he threw while leaping off a rotting bough that buckled under his weight, noting with satisfaction that it had pierced the target firmly in the center. Channeling some energy to his left hand, he swung lightly down onto the ground, preparing to throw his final kunai at a-

Some sixth sense niggled at him, and Iruka instinctively whirled. There was a slight noise behind him, and he instantly threw the kunai at full force towards it. Simultaneously, he jerked his body to the side and backwards, putting distance between him and whoever else was there. It was only then that he quickly scanned the area with his eyes, spotting his kunai embedded deep in the trunk of a tree. Obviously, he'd missed his opponent, but only barely. Caught between the kunai and the wood was a bit of dusty green material, probably torn off from an article of clothing.

He reached out with his awareness, letting chakra flow from him to seek out whoever was near-

"Your aim drags a little to the left."

Iruka felt cold metal press suddenly to the back of his neck, causing the tiny hairs there to stand on end. His flesh prickled, partly from the knife held alarmingly close to his jugular, but also because that low, quiet drawl was familiar.

He turned his head slightly, catching sight of ghostly pale fingers. "Kakashi," he breathed.

The Jounin didn't remove the weapon. "Good evening, Umino-san."

Iruka started, surprised by the polite greeting. And his voice. It was different than normal, much colder and more clipped than he was used to hearing. It was definitely alarming to be on the opposite end of Kakashi's blade, something usually reserved for his enemy shinobis. "You startled me."

"I can see that." The older man spared a glance at his clothes. "There's a small gash in my flak vest."

The Chuunin didn't reply, gradually reaching his hand up towards the kunai at his throat. He felt the fingers gripping it freeze, but he didn't stop. In an agonizingly slow movement, to show Kakashi his intent, his fingertips grazed lightly over the sharp blade. He did not think the Jounin meant him any harm; however, it was clear that the man wasn't very happy with him, and that mystified Iruka. Discerning the position of the weapon, he traced it backwards until he touched a warm hand. It twitched at the contact, but still refused to move. With measured care, Iruka closed his fingers around Kakashi's and tugged lightly. For a moment, his hand resisted. But that moment of hesitation passed, and Iruka heard a soft sigh as Kakashi pulled his hand back to re-holster the kunai.

For a long minute, the wind brushed daintily past the two men standing awkwardly in the dark. Neither moved or spoke, both unsure and the tension practically palpable in the air.

"So. Who is she?"

The question was both perplexing and unexpected, causing Iruka to forget his nervousness briefly. He finally turned around to face the taller man. Of all things he'd thought Kakashi would say after skirting him for nearly a week, this was not even on the list of possibilities. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kakashi glared indifferently back. "That woman you were talking to."

If he didn't know better, it sounded something like jealousy was coming from Kakashi. He had to be referring to Kotone; she was the only woman Iruka had spoken to at length today. But how had Kakashi known? There wasn't anyone else around that-

The answer suddenly flickered to the top of his thoughts. _He was following me_. That very notion brought his blood to a boil as anger surged up from within him. "Y-you..." He was utterly flabbergasted. The man had followed him, spied on him. "You've been tailing me?" Iruka had been practically demented with worry and regret all week and Kakashi had the gall to be mad over him talking to someone?

The Jounin seemed to realize his mistake, eyes widening. "Um...no, I was-"

Iruka was almost dizzy from the revelations. Kakashi didn't need to answer; Iruka was an expert at spotting guilt (a skill acquired from years of teaching ninjas-to-be) and it was written all over the older man's face. "You..." The absolute _nerve_ of him. He'd heard that Jounin were often abnormal and fraught with quirks and didn't think normally, but this just left him almost speechless.

Kakashi took a hasty step back as Iruka advanced on him, emanating a distinct killing intent. "W-wait, I can explain-" He jerked his head to the side in the nick of time, barely avoiding the shuriken suddenly quivering in the tree behind him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Iruka continued to stalk forward angrily, snapping twigs and grass in his wake. "You asked me out, lead me on, then make me think you're avoiding me all week _just so you could spy on me_?" His hands reached reflexively towards his leg holsters again. "And now you have the _audacity _to be jealous because I was talking to a woman who _happens _to be the guardian of one of my students? You..."

Before the Chuunin could blink, Kakashi flickered out of sight, reappearing milliseconds later behind him. The Jounin quickly disarmed the other man, one hand flicking the shurikens safely into a tree and out of reach. The other hand pushed him forward up against the trunk of a tree, firmly pinning him. "Calm down." Admittedly, Iruka had every right to be mad at him, but Kakashi would never live it down if a _Chuunin _managed to kick his ass.

Far from calm, Iruka jerked his head backwards, forcing Kakashi to lean back and avoid the blow. He whirled around to face the Copy Ninja, hands starting to form seals and-

"Wait wait, just-" Swiftly, Kakashi seized the younger man's wrists, forcing them up and back until they were pressed firmly against wood. He felt Iruka tense and his muscles tightened as he prepared to kick out. "Hold on-" With a hiss of frustration, he shifted his left hand to grip both of Iruka's wrists. His right hand quickly reached up, a finger hooking onto the edge of his mask and tugging it down to his chin.

"Let go of-" Iruka's eyes widened as Kakashi leaned in close and pressed lips to his in an unmistakable kiss. He completely froze, shocked by both the warm mouth moving over his own and the pale, unmasked face before him. Anger, indignation, and reason sputtered to a halt; he thought about pushing Kakashi away, but the notion quickly trailed away as gentle fingers dug into his hair and stroked. Somehow, the older man had managed to express an apology using just a kiss, and it sweetly soothed the week's worth of dissatisfaction and vexations away.

Kakashi smirked slightly, feeling the body pressed against his finally relax, clenched hands timidly sliding up his shoulders. He pulled back a bit, taking in the sight of flushed cheeks and an out-of-breath Iruka. "I'm sorry." He pecked at the slightly parted lips. "I'm just-" Another kiss. "Not very good at a normal relationship."

Iruka quirked an eyebrow, but didn't reply. Looking for the first time at that narrow jaw, slender cheeks and contrite lips, he felt a good chunk of his hostility dissipate. All week he had been pining and hoping. Kakashi was odd and childish; he wasn't at all surprised by his behavior, just exasperated.

_But if he could kiss like that again...it would be worth the trouble._

He smiled at the hopeful look in the older man's eye, defenses crumbling. "Idiot." He pushed at Kakashi's hitai-ate, revealing the Sharingan spinning slowly beneath. It left him slightly frightened and awestruck to be looking into the deadly eye, contrasting sharply with Kakashi's other blue, kind eye. It was a duality that defined the Copy Ninja; cold yet alluring and inviting. Sighing, he pulled at the other man's vest and their lips met once more. "This doesn't mean you're forgiven."

And Kakashi grinned, nipping lightly at Iruka's moist lips. "How about you let me make it up to you?"

The younger man looked at him in consideration. "Buy me dinner."

"Okay, whatever you like." He extended an arm in a half-serious 'after you' gesture, causing Iruka to roll his eyes. Side by side, they didn't hold hands but walked amiably away from the training ground. Amazing how a simple act could set right a week's worth of let downs.

Iruka was once again glad it was dark out, as he couldn't hold back a grin as the two of them walked back towards the village under a starry sky. He was still smiling when rain suddenly started pouring out of the heavens like there was no tomorrow halfway there, and they had to race through muddy streets back to Iruka's apartment. And he grinned even wider as Kakashi attempted to throw together a respectable meal with the meager contents of his refrigerator. Most of all, he couldn't control his smile when chopsticks were set down and finally, Kakashi drew him close and kissed him again.

* * *

.

**A/N: Yeah, I was reading my cookbook today...  
**

**1. Hiya sōmen: **thin, white noodles usually served in cold water with garnishes and a dipping sauce. Popular in the summer time.

**2. Obimaki enoki:** Enokitake mushrooms wrapped with a slice of bacon and grilled. Really cute looking!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update; this month has been super busy. Thanks for your patience!**

* * *

.

"You're going to be late." He was in the living room, hurriedly stuffing books and papers into his school bag.

"If I leave now, I'll get there hours earlier than they expect me to be," Kakashi replied easily, sipping his tea at the kitchen table. He'd spent the night (on the couch) as a result of last night's torrential rainstorm, and they'd just finished enjoying a quick breakfast together.

Iruka smirked, toeing on his sandals and dropping his keys into the bag as well. "Some role model you are." He repeatedly stole glances at the other man; he couldn't help it. Kakashi, having recently woken up, looked slightly rumpled and more approachable. Iruka thought the look was rather becoming.

"Why thank you, sensei." The Jounin got to his feet smoothly, striding into the living room and picking up a book the younger man had forgotten on the table. He held it out with a smile.

"Oh, thanks I-" The book was jerked back from his grasp. "Wha-" He fell silent as Kakashi dipped his head to drop onto his lips a quick, goodbye kiss. It lasted only a few seconds, but the warmth and the taste of green tea lingered and brought a slightly embarrassed smile to Iruka's face.

"Let's meet for lunch today?" The Copy Ninja slid the last book into Iruka's limp hand.

"Sounds good." He turned towards the door before his face became any redder, stopping at the closet briefly. He'd hung both of their flak vest there last night to dry, and he was glad to see it had dried completely from last night's shower. His spare vests were still waiting in a laundry pile that had yet to be done.

Raising his hand in a final wave as he shrugged on his uniform, the Chuunin stepped out into the sunny, still somewhat damp morning. "Lock the door on your way out?" Kakashi nodded, and Iruka closed the door and walked briskly towards the Academy.

The Jounin watched him for another minute, until he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. He had to admit, it had been a very pleasant morning all together. Normally at this time, Kakashi would be playing spy or digging through Iruka's apartment. However, the need to do so was gone, and he was quite satisfied with the result. Sitting back down at the kitchen table, Kakashi looked slowly around the room. He'd been in this apartment so many times over the past week (illicitly) that almost every nook and cranny was familiar to him; it was beginning to feel almost like a second home.

Consequently, that was a word he now associated with Iruka. Iruka was as constant as the sea: though not always smooth and calm, he was dependable. He'd discovered a lot about the man through observation, but it was another thing all together to experience it first hand, as he did last night.

Smiling slightly to himself, he put his empty cup into the sink. There was a few more hours until lunch, so in his good mood, Kakashi decided to be on time for once. His students would certainly be surprised.

At the door, he tugged the flak vest off the hanger, and shrugged it on. It was a little tight, but that didn't surprise him. It'd gotten completely soaked in last night's rain. Fortunately though, all the pockets and interior were lined with waterproof material, keeping his books and scrolls dry.

Closing the door behind him, Kakashi looked briefly in the direction of the Academy as he pulled up his mask. Noon couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

"All right class, today we'll be reviewing the twelve basic hand seals." Iruka walked up and down the rows, passing out sheets of paper. "I want you to partner up with your neighbor and fill out this worksheet. Label each picture and write a few sentences about how it shapes chakra." He pointed up at the clock. "Take about twenty minutes to do that. After that, we'll go over the sheet as a class and I'll show you a couple simple jutsus."

Around him, the children started chatting excitedly, eager to finish so they could see some real jutsus. Satisfied that they were all working, Iruka walked back to his desk and sat down. He found that he was noticeably happier today, almost giddy. And he constantly kept looking at the clock, mentally ticking off the hours until lunch. Iruka felt sort of like a lovestruck schoolgirl, but the thought didn't embarrass him very much at all. And even if it did, his thoughts would inevitably wander back to Kakashi and his smirks and soft lips-

Okay, not the time to be thinking about that. Shaking his head, Iruka turned his attention back to the papers on his desk. It was the usual stack of rather dry day-to-day issues: a reminder for a teacher's meeting this week, memos confirming this and that, and a few tests he'd almost finished grading. Reaching into his desk, he rummaged around for a pen in vain. This didn't surprise him in the slightest; he was constantly loaning out writing utensils to the many students who either forgot them or broke them. And the latter happened quite frequently in a school for ninjas.

No matter, he usually had a couple squirreled away in one of his vest pockets. He opened the right hand one, expecting to feel the usual assortment of paper clips, hair ties, chewing gum, and hopefully a pen or pencil. Instead, his fingers touched the unmistakable edge of a book. Frowning, he pulled it out, only to immediately shove the orange colored volume back inside. Why was _Icha Icha Paradise_ in his pocket?

* * *

On the outskirts of town, Kakashi frowned at the mission assignment they'd just received. Tora the cat? Again? Honestly, he was starting to wonder if it would be more merciful for the feline if they just dumped it in another country far away from Konoha.

"What?" Naruto crossed his arms indignantly. "We have to catch that stupid cat _again_?"

The silver-haired man sighed, folding up the scroll as Sakura bashed her teammate over the head and told him to shut up. Well, at least he had lunch to look forward to. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke dejectedly started to split up, putting on the communicators their sensei handed them. They knew from experience where to start looking, but the cat was getting better at eluding capture every time.

Automatically, Kakashi reached up and snapped open his right-hand vest pocket. The kids were already looking, and well, with such an easy mission, he probably had time to catch up on some reading and-

Blinking, Kakashi looked down at his hand in surprise. Instead of his beloved orange novel, he found the pocket crammed with pencil stubs, elastic hair ties, paper clips, and scraps of paper. The black hair ties immediately clued him in to what had happened; he only knew one person who wore them."Shit!"

He should have been more careful; it was uncharacteristic of him to allow something like this to happen. Obviously, Iruka had been distracted as he was leaving the apartment, and had grabbed the wrong vest. As Kakashi turned and made his way quickly back into town with a distinct air of panic, he prayed Iruka wouldn't find the notebook.

* * *

Slightly mortified, Iruka sat nervously at his desk. Though the book was out of sight, the very knowledge that _Icha Icha Paradise _of all things was on his person was enough to derail his good mood. He groaned, remembering his rush to get to work, and the distraction that was Kakashi. Clearly, he'd grabbed the wrong vest. He grinned slightly at the small tear on the shoulder, left by his kunai yesterday. Well, noon wasn't too far off, and all he had to do was keep the book out of sight...but he still needed a pen.

Hopefully, Kakashi didn't have any other items of a lewder nature stored in his vest pockets. Carefully opening the left front vest pocket, he peered in anxiously. A small black notebook. _Crap_. Iruka was about to close the pocket again when he noticed a pen sticking out from between the notebook's pages. _Bingo_.

Iruka wasn't a prying kind of person. Kakashi was a Jounin and ex-ANBU; he probably had many secrets that weren't for anyone else's eyes. So while he was curious as to what was written in the notebook, the moral side of him told him to just take the pen out, close the pocket, and forget about it. And if he and Kakashi were going to be starting a relationship, it was important to respect the older man's privacy. At least, that was what he'd planned on doing.

But that all fell apart as he started tugging the pen out. The page it was wedged between lifted slightly, and the Chuunin was surprised to see his own name written on it.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Iruka lifted the entire book out of the pocket, flipping to the first page. His jaw fell open in shock. "What...the hell..." He murmured in disbelief. The Iruka Files? What the hell was this? As his eyes scanned down the page, his confusion and anger started to rise precipitously. Some of the observations about him were casual and commonplace, but the majority of it was downright embarrassing. He flipped past the next few pages, utterly dumbfounded. It went on and on! How long had Kakashi been spying on him?

* * *

Slightly winded, Kakashi skidded on the tiled hallway floor. Several teachers gawked at him, but immediately jumped out of his way as the renowned Jounin tore past them. After all, it was Hatake Kakashi. He was probably on a mission or something.

_God please please please let him be busy teaching or something..._

It seemed to take forever for him to finally reach the wing where Iruka's classroom, having took several wrong turns in his haste. But he turned the correct corner at last, stopping dead.

The classroom door was closed, and he could hear the children chattering inside. But Iruka stood out in the hall, back to him, apparently engrossed in something.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei, I-" He froze, feeling a sudden chill in the air. It seemed to be emanating from Iruka, who was slowly turning around.

Dark brown eyes, usually friendly and warm, were now absolutely sub-zero in temperature and glaring daggers at him. In his hand, Kakashi noticed with a start, was the small black notebook. "So." His voice was low and quiet, but layered with subdued anger.

In a different circumstance, Kakashi thought that voice could be considered sensual. But at the moment, it made him wonder if he should be defending himself. "Iruka, you don't understand-"

"Oh, I understand all right, _Hatake-san_." With a flick of his wrist, he threw the notebook like a shuriken at the other man's head. "I _understand _that you think I'm dorky. I _understand _that you question my intelligence as a teacher." He was far from quiet now, voice quickly rising to a shout, but he couldn't control the pure rage bubbling up. "I _understand _that you've been spying on me all week, invading my privacy and my home! And for what? For your own amusement? To see if I was worth knowing?"

"You've got it wrong, I-" Kakashi jerked his head to the left, barely dodging the pen that abruptly shot past his ear.

"Shut up. Just shut up!" Iruka bit his lip, his body shaking with pent up emotion. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm a _person_. I'm not a mission, you ass! I'm not something you analyze objectively and complete and turn in, Hatake."

Cautiously, the silver-haired man took a few steps closer. "I know, I'm sorry that I-"

"Shut up. Don't say you know when you filled a damn notebook up with your spying and insulting observations about me." He slapped away the hand that reached toward him soothingly. "Don't touch me." Quicker than Kakashi expected, Iruka pulled out a kunai. "Get away from me."

"Just let me explain-" He didn't want to fight the man, but if he could just get a word in...

But Iruka pointed resolutely with the kunai towards the end of the hall. "Get out." When Kakashi didn't move, he scowled even deeper. "Don't try me, Hatake-san. You might outrank me, but I promise I won't hold back."

And Kakashi believed him. Slowly, he backed off, his eyes wary. He wanted to just kiss Iruka and apologize and explain it all, but the younger man wasn't having it. His ninja instinct told him to just back off and try again later, when the man was calmer. After all, that was one of the first things they taught to Genins on missions: if the first plan of attack doesn't work, rethink, regroup and-

_I'm not a mission, you ass. I'm not something you analyze objectively and complete and turn in, Hatake_

He paused, staring down at the grass outside the front door. Was that where he'd erred? Had he approached this whole thing incorrectly?


	14. Chapter 14

_**A long time ago…**_

_**.  
**_

"Now Iruka, Hatake-san and I have a very important meeting to go to today. So I want you behave, okay?" His father pulled him along as they walked up to the front door of the Hatake family compound. The small, brown-haired boy looked curiously around. He'd never been here before, but it looked similar to his home: carefully trimmed, well maintained shrubs and flower beds lined the stone walls, and the porch they approached had been recently swept. Stopping at the white-painted wooden door, his father knocked smartly twice.

Footsteps sounded from inside, and Iruka instinctively scooted behind his parent. A moment later, the door cracked open a few inches. Iruka was surprised to see a pair of dark eyes peer out, near his level of sight. They looked him up and down somberly before darting up to glance at his father.

"Open the door properly, Kakashi." Sakumo appeared behind his son, and the door was pulled open wide. The White Fang nodded at the other man. "Good morning, Kujira-san." He smiled then, spotting the young boy partially hidden behind the older Umino's legs. "And this must be Iruka. It's nice to meet you." Sakumo pushed his son forward. "Kakashi agreed to play with you for a bit while your dad and I attend to some business."

Iruka peeked out again, looking doubtfully at the other child. He looked slightly alarming, with his shockingly-bright silver hair that was sticking out all over and sharp eyes. But most of all, little Iruka was perplexed by the dark-colored cloth mask that covered the bottom half of Kakashi's face. It contrasted starkly with his pale skin, making him look ghostly and intimidating at the same time. He tugged at his father's pants; he wasn't sure if he wanted to play with this boy.

Kujira looked at the mask too, then glanced questioningly at Sakumo. He shrugged with the barest answering roll of his shoulders, before smiling again. "Okay, we better hurry, Kujira-san."

Nodding, the dark-haired man firmly pushed his son out from behind him and towards Kakashi, into the house. "We'll be back soon, Iruka. You play nice with Kakashi-kun."

Reluctantly, Iruka went quietly through the door. He waved as the two fathers strolled down the walkway, shutting the gate behind them. Beside him, Kakashi raised his arm in a brief wave as well, before shutting the door crisply. For a moment, he looked at the younger child standing nervously beside him. Then with a sigh, he walked back into the living room.

Startled, Iruka followed close behind, looking all over at the foreign house. It was very clean, with ceremonial weapons and scrolls hanging on the white walls. He was surprised to see that there were no toys anywhere; Iruka didn't think Kakashi was much older than him, and he himself had lots of toys to play with. Instead, the silver-haired boy sat down in front of the coffee table, apparently resuming what he'd been doing before the Uminos came to his door. Thick books were stacked on one side, with scrolls and pamphlets open in front of the serious young Hatake. He picked up his pencil and started writing, completely ignoring the other boy.

Completely confused, Iruka took a seat on the carpet next to Kakashi. Most people he knew were pretty nice; they usually would talk or play with him, and sometimes offer him something to eat. This Kakashi though, well…he was just rude!

Slightly put-off, Iruka poked a chubby finger at Kakashi's side. He was really skinny. Maybe he didn't eat enough? And what was with that weird mask?

The older boy raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

The brown-haired boy pouted, poking again. "Aren't we gonna play?"

"No." He turned back to his scrolls.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm studying."

"Why?"

"Because my graduation exam is coming up soon."

"Why?"

Sighing again, Kakashi looked exasperatedly down at the youngest Umino. This could go on forever. Thinking fast, he picked up a blank scroll and a spare pencil from the table. These he deposited on the floor in front of the rather annoying child, with a brief, "Here, draw something."

"Okay!" Iruka liked to draw. His mother let him hang the good ones on their refrigerator. Happily, he sprawled out on the floor and picked up the pencil.

A few moments later, the scratching sound of pencil on parchment reached his ears, and Kakashi exhaled in relief. Thank goodness. He definitely wasn't cut out for childcare. As he continued to write, the silver-haired boy took a quick look at the clock. Hopefully, Umino-san and his father would return soon. For the next few minutes, it was relatively quiet in the Hatake house, with the two occupants wholly engrossed in their respective activities. All too soon though, that peace was interrupted.

Just as Kakashi had almost forgotten that he was baby sitting, a sheaf of paper was suddenly thrust into his face. On reflex, he grabbed the hand that was holding it tightly, preventing it from touching his face.

"Look 'Kashi-kun! I finished!" Proudly, Iruka waved the drawing back and forth. "Whattaya think?"

Looking closely at the crude drawing, Kakashi frowned. "What is this supposed to be?"

To his surprise, the brown-haired child laughed uproariously, pushing himself off the floor and onto Kakashi's lap. He didn't seem to notice the older boy's alarm at his action, focusing instead on explaining his masterpiece. "It's you, 'Kashi-kun!" He pointed with stubby finger at a cluster of zig-zags. "This is your hair, cause it's all spiky." He then indicated what Kakashi presumed was a colored-in upside down triangle. "And this is your mask!" Iruka stopped, tilting his face back to look at the object in question. "Hey 'Kashi-kun, why do you wear a mask?"

Sitting stiffly, Kakashi wondered how to remove this strange and inquisitive child from his lap. "Because I'm a shinobi."

"But my dad's a shinobi too, and he don't wear one!" He reached up, pressing two fingers against the soft material.

Kakashi grabbed his fingers, pushing them back down. "Well, all shinobi are different."

"So why do _you_ wear it?" Iruka pouted, turning a bit in his lap so he could look the boy in his face.

Rolling his eyes, the young ninja glanced longingly at his stack of study materials. "Because a shinobi has to hide their emotions."

"What's emotions?"

"Um…it's how you feel."

"Why?"

"Because they can get in the way."

At that, Iruka looked dubiously up at the older boy. "But don't the mask get in the way too?"

"No."

"I think you're lying." He narrowed his brown eyes. "My mommy says that feelings are what make people human. She told me that if you can feel happy or sad then that means you're normal." That last thought suddenly made him worry. "'Kashi-kun, are you not normal?" He jabbed a finger at the mask again. "You should let your feelings out. I think they're stuck behind your mask."

Unwittingly, Kakashi smiled under his mask. Iruka's train of thought was rather amusing. "And why's that?"

Iruka scoffed, looking as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because my mommy said it'll make you feel better to not hold it all inside." He prodded the skinny boy's chest with his finger. "And if you're wearing that thing, how are people gonna help you feel better?"

"What do you mean?" Genius though he was, Kakashi was slightly puzzled by Iruka's childish logic.

"Well, whenever I don't feel good, my mommy always helps by giving me a chu-chu."

Starting, Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at the unusual sound. "A what?"

"A chu-chu." Rolling his eyes at the ignorant older kid, Iruka stood up. He couldn't believe he'd never heard of a chu-chu. Before Kakashi could move or push him away, he wrapped his pudgy arms around his neck, and placed a loud kiss on the corner on his mask. "Chuuu. See?" He frowned, studying the shocked expression on the silver-haired boy's face. This wasn't the effect his mother's kisses normally had. "Your mask is in the way, 'Kashi-kun. That's why it didn't work."

* * *

_**At the present…**_

_**.  
**_

Idly, Kakashi ran a finger down his mask, feeling the smooth, familiar material. The evening wind tugged mercilessly at his hair, but he ignored it, lost in thought. After wearing this small bit of cloth for so long, the mask was practically a second skin to him now. From the first time he donned it as a small child (his first one had been fashioned out of an old bed sheet), it had come to serve many purposes. As a young student and as a Genin, it was a source of confusion and curiosity for both his peers and his instructors. As Kakashi grew older and his reputation blossomed, it became an integral part of his persona. After all, he was a shinobi first. And while it was true that the majority of ninjas did not wear them, the Copy Ninja often thought that it added to his success as a warrior.

In many ways, it was a barrier. By now, there remained a very small amount of individuals who actually knew (or remembered) what Hatake Kakashi's complete face looked like. And he liked it that way. It was intimidating, adding enigma and removing emotions from his appearance. And it was frustrating to his enemies, who were unable to see any signs of nervousness, fear, or tells.

But now, he wondered if he'd utilized the mask too long, to the point where he was hiding almost all of himself behind it, rather that using it as a mere tool. It represented the dominant shinobi side of him, which he'd carefully cultivated for years. It reminded him to school his emotions and curb his impulses. Since Iruka came into his life though, Kakashi had become increasingly aware of the simple man inside him, which laid dormant for years as the killer held the reigns.

"How much longer do you plan on sitting out there?"

Startled, Kakashi turned his head. He hadn't sensed Iruka's approach, and the Jounin was even more surprised that the younger man had detected him. But then again, he'd been fairly distracted. Shrugging, he turned a bit more to face the half-open window. He was seated stiffly on the slanting roof tiles outside Iruka's apartment, channeling the barest bit of chakra to his feet for balance. "It's nice out." Iruka didn't seem angry any more, but you could never be too sure.

The Chuunin scoffed, leaning forward to push the window open wider. "It's windy as hell and probably going to rain again soon." He'd detected the older man on his roof as soon as he'd arrived, but opted to let him stew for a while. That was the unexpected benefit of being a Chuunin; people often underestimated him. He found it humorous that Kakashi was also prone to such a elementary mistake. "What are you doing here?" He watched expressionlessly as the older man swung his legs over the windowsill and seated himself precariously on the edge.

"I-" Kakashi paused. What had he come for? To apologize? He wasn't exactly sure where he'd messed up precisely, though he had a pretty good idea. To explain? But yet, there were things he didn't fully understand, and that was frustrating. His pragmatic shinobi mind was used to comprehending things quickly. The problem here though, seemed to be that his heart wasn't as astute. He looked up at Iruka, taking note of his body language. His arms were crossed, but his stance was relaxed, indicating that he was annoyed yet open to discussion. And that made Kakashi smile, because the first thing he'd discovered about Iruka was that he had a magnanimous heart: in spite of a quick and often explosive temper, he was also quick to forgive. He held close no malice, and genuinely wished good will towards others. So though Kakashi had done a significant wrong to him, Umino Iruka still offered him a chance to fix his mistake.

He considered what words he could use, what phrases would best convey himself. But he knew none of them would be even close to adequate. So instead, he reached a hand into his pocket. Taking out the small black notebook that had caused so much furor, he flipped to the very last page, where six lines were written. He'd scribbled them there earlier, as he'd tried to objectively examine himself. But now, he thought that the teacher in Iruka would understand it better; and perhaps he could teach Kakashi.

Wordlessly, he tore out the page in the notebook. With his other hand, he tugged his mask down, removing the entire piece of material from his outfit. Both items in hand, he hesitated, and eyed Iruka warily. The younger man's gaze had widened slightly in surprise, but he remained silent. The Jounin inhaled slowly, calming his rapid heartbeat; this was a chunk of himself he'd never openly shared, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. After all, he'd trespassed on Iruka's privacy and taken knowledge about the man that had not been freely given.

So with slightly shaking hands, Kakashi offered his mask out to Iruka. Both of them.

"…Kakashi, what-" Iruka took the paper and the mask in confusion, but the Copy Ninja shook his head, gesturing towards his hands. Perplexed, he held the paper up to his eyes and read:

_**Tenet number one: Exist.**_  
_**Tenet number two: Cherish those close to you.**_  
_**Tenet number three: Protect the village.**_  
_**Tenet number four: Let no opportunities pass you.**_  
_**Tenet number five: Separate the job from living.**_  
_**Tenet number six: Approach every situation with adequate information.**_

Slowly, Iruka looked from the writing to Kakashi's bare face. It was slightly startling to see nervousness flicker across the Jounin's face, simply because it was a mien normally devoid of expression. But as he read and as he looked, he realized with a jolt that Kakashi was attempting to make amends by sharing the most private part of him. It wasn't the face and yet it was; he could see that the silver-haired man was trying his best by allowing Iruka to glimpse the unguarded side of him, past the physical and mental masks he'd erected over the years.

He felt a silly, loopy grin come to his face, but that was all right. Kakashi was staring determinedly at the floor, so Iruka closed the distance between them, and knelt. The other man instinctively jerked in surprise, but held his reactions in check. Tilting his head up, Iruka smiled up at the uneasy Jounin. "Kakashi," he began, prodding a tan finger at a pale chin. "You're an absolute idiot."

Relieved, Kakashi chuckled as he leaned forward. "I know."

Iruka smoothed out the piece of paper, doing the same to the mask. "You're a genius and a great shinobi, but you're an idiot with relationships." He rolled his eyes at the smirk on Kakashi's face. "I'm serious. People are not missions, Kakashi." He stopped at the confused look on the other man's face. "Okay, they _can_ people you want to…get close to…should not be treated like an assignment."

Holding up the tenets list, he pointed to a word: Cherish.

"Do you know what this word means? It means to nurture, to protect, to aid. It means you'll treat it with tenderness and affection." His voice caught slightly on the last word, embarrassed, but he plowed on. "Do you think you've been doing that?"

Seriously, Kakashi looked at the character under Iruka's fingertip. He was right… "No, I haven't," he murmured lowly. "I'm not sure how to." He felt an unfamiliar pang in his heart with that admission, but looked up at Iruka with trust in his eyes. "Maybe…you can teach me?" Kakashi picked up Iruka's hand with a smirk that was full of both promise and mischief. "Eh, _sensei_?"

Iruka tried to look stern, he really did, but it collapsed at the puppy-like look Kakashi was aiming at him. So instead, he laughed briefly, tugging his hand and dragging the Copy Ninja fully into his apartment. Before Kakashi could stand or roll away, he slid a hand up his shoulders and to the warm skin on the back of his neck, pulling him close. He faltered for a moment, shy. "I hope you're a good student."

And the look that Kakashi answered him with could only be described as wicked. "Oh, I think you'll find that I'm a genius in many things, sensei." Dipping his head, he pressed his lips to Iruka's slightly open, smooth mouth. He was close enough to feel the younger man's pulse quicken at his touch, his hand tightening its grip. And as their lips slowly slid and pressed against one another, Kakashi vaguely thought that Iruka tasted like spring rain that fell happily on a parched earth: sweet, clear, and awakening. It refreshed his soul that had been lonely for so long, and warmed a heart that had been too accustomed to solitude.

* * *

_**A/N: Almost done! Just a epilogue left. Thanks so much for your support and your reviews! **_


	15. Epilogue

**A/N: This took a while to write, so my apologies! I was seriously writer blocked for this last part, until I happened to look at the pages of prompts over at the KakaIru_Kink LJ community. Set during and after the Invasion of Pain arc. This takes place a significant amount of time after the last chapter; haven't decided exactly how long. Doesn't matter though! XD**

**Please note that the uncensored version of this chapter contains a lemon; it has been edited out in accordance to 's rules. To read the full version, visit my homepage or my LJ account (links in my profile). **

* * *

The air was filled with the sound of explosions, the very ground quaking as buildings fell into disarrayed piles of rubble. The streets were clouded with dust and debris, lining Iruka's skin with a fine grit as he raced through. Parents and their children screamed in terror as he and other Chuunin hurriedly directed them away from the battle. Heat rose as many of the destroyed homes caught fire, sending plumes of dark smoke furling into the sky.

It was hard to imagine that just a short while ago, the sun had risen over another peaceful day in Konoha. Iruka himself had been just getting ready to start another usual day when ominous rumblings had shook the earth. He'd seen several monstrous summons wreaking havoc starting on one part of the village, quickly spreading chaos through the entire town. Who was attacking them?

"C'mon, Iruka!" A voice screamed behind him, muffled by the maelstrom of noise all around them. The other shinobi pushed the civilians on, craning his neck to see where the other teacher had gone.

"There's still a few left!" He yelled back, weaving quickly through the maze of ruined homes and buildings. The brown-haired man could detect several chakra signatures weakly pulsing in the area, obviously injured. He found the first man collapsed on the roadside, clutching a heavily bleeding leg. "Are you okay?" Iruka carefully started to lift him by the shoulders, attempting to help him up.

"Ah..." The ninja hissed in agony, trying to put weight on the injured limb. Suddenly he froze, fearing lighting his eyes as he looked over Iruka's shoulder. The Chuunin instinctively felt the shadow loom over him, and movement flickered on the edge of his vision. He turned his head and looked up into a ghoulish mien.

The man was very tall, his body shrouded by black robes bearing the distinctive red cloud emblem of the Akatsuki. Black piercings dotted his face, bright red hair held in place by a scarred hitai-ate. Pain gazed down at the two Konoha ninjas dispassionately, his strange, rippled eyes cold. "Where is the Nine-Tailed Beast's host? Spit it out." His tone was low yet frosty, the killing intent emanating palpably over them both. "Tell me or I'll kill you."

Iruka stiffened, shifting slightly to put his body between the enemy and the injured shinobi. _So this was Akatsuki._ His thoughts raced worriedly to Naruto, who thankfully was away from the village. But he had to be warned, and he couldn't let this mysterious adversary know where his student was. Glaring back determinedly, Iruka slowly reached a hand towards his weapon pouch. He was at a distinct disadvantage: he had to protect both himself and the disabled ninja behind him. "I won't tell you anything."

Expression unchanging, Pain straightened to his full height. His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing Iruka for a split second. "I see..."

Faster than his eyes could follow, the man withdrew a long black blade from within his cloak, stabbing the sharp point towards Iruka. His hands clenched as Iruka moved to block, but he already knew it was too late, his opponent too quick-

Just as abruptly, the tip stopped mere centimeters away from his face, quivering in mid-motion. It took a few seconds for Iruka realized with a start that another shinobi had leapt timely between them, his gloved hand firmly stopping the weapon from striking its intended target. He looked up at his savior, heart skipping a beat as his eyes fell on a familiar shock of spiky silver hair. _Kakashi_.

"So all this was just a distraction, so you could search without being noticed..." The Jounin glared evenly at the strange man, the blood-red Sharingan eye already revealed.

"Kakashi-" Iruka started to rise to his feet, all other worries momentarily shelved as his concern for Kakashi flared. He should help him fight, or at least-

But it seemed his boyfriend knew him too well, because Kakashi cut him off curtly. "Take that injured man and get out of here." He gave Iruka a quick, stern look that clearly allowed no argument. "Leave this to me."

Hesitating for a pause, Iruka bit his lip and crouched quickly to sling the wounded man's arm over his shoulder. "R-Right." The Chuunin knew that chances were, he was no match for the Akatsuki member standing there. He'd only distract Kakashi and be a were things on the tip of his tongue that he was bursting to tell the older man, now that they were separating on the battlefield. However, he knew that this was no time to be giving him any more distractions._ Good luck, Kakashi. _As Iruka heaved the unconscious man up and sped away, he allowed himself a swift look back at the Jounin. Fear curled in his belly with a sickening sensation, but he forced himself to shake off the doubt. After all, he thought to himself reassuringly, he was Sharingan Kakashi. He could take care of himself.

* * *

For a long few minutes, the world seemed to have collapsed on them all. His limbs felt bone-wearyingly heavy, as if weighed down by an enormous burden. His senses felt as though wet cotton had been pressed over them, smothering awareness and darkening everything. Gradually though, Iruka became aware of the weight lifting off his body, sunlight reaching his eyes. Sound filtered slowly back to his attention; it was deathly still and quiet. "Ugh..." The ground was hard and gritty beneath his face, rough as sandpaper.

"Iruka! Are you okay?"

The voice seemed to come from far off, echoing oddly in his ears. A hand was shaking his shoulder, urgently pulling him back to full awareness. Feeling flooded back into his form: the ache of his feet, the bruises all along his back, a dull throbbing in his head. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, the brightness stinging his pupils. Blurry shapes around him came into focus bit by bit. A semi-familiar face gazed down at his own, examining him quickly for injuries. Before Iruka could ask him a question, the man said a few words to someone next to them, then raced off to help other more grievously injured. Lifting his head, Iruka took his first look around.

A gigantic slug lay beside him, carefully detaching itself from his back, where she had thrown herself. He vaguely recognized it as Katsuyu, Tsunade's personal summon. "...So...rry...It was all I could do...to surround everyone..." She said groggily, evidently just as shaken from the attack as the rest of them were.

Wincing, Iruka pushed himself upright into a sitting position. "Thank you, Katsuyu-sama." He reflexively started to inquire about her well-being, but the scene before them finally came into sharp relief.

All around them, rubble and chunks of concrete filled a huge canyon. It looked as if a giant had scooped an enormous spoonful of land from the very earth. Chills ran down his spine as he realized he was looking at what remained of Konoha: a crater of destruction. "Oh god-" What happened to his students? To his fellow shinobi?_ To Kakashi_?

"Katsuyu-sama," he turned urgently towards the great slug. "Is everyone all right?"

She didn't move, bulbous eyes looking from side to side. "I was able to cover everyone before the attack hit."

"But-" Movement caught his eye, and Iruka looked down towards the center of the crater. He gasped, seeing a telltale head of blond hair.

_Naruto_.

With a pained grunt, Iruka struggled to his feet. He tried to take a few steps forward, but Katsuyu instantly slithered into his path. "Iruka-san, you mustn't interfere with this fight. You're in no shape to be battling anyone, and would only distract Naruto."

Her words cut into his heart painfully. He knew it was the truth, but that didn't stop the resultant rush of helplessness and frustration. He lowered himself back onto the ground unsteadily, hands clenched. The Chuunin felt completely overwhelmed; it crushed Iruka on so many levels to know he wasn't strong enough to help his student, couldn't prevent Akatsuki from devastating his village, and had to be saved by Kakashi from-

_Wait, what about Kakashi?_

Tensing, Iruka turned again to the slug. "Katsuyu-sama, do you know if Kakashi-sensei is all right?"

He'd never thought that a slug could have an expressive face, but he was wrong. Katsuyu sat there silently, her antennae-eyes drooping morosely. "Iruka-san..." She said no more, nor did she have to.

He tore his gaze away, burying his face in the sleeve of his dirt-strewn shirt. His eyes burned with unshed tears, but the brown-haired man forced them back. Any other person might have broken down and wept bitterly, but Iruka knew better. He was a shinobi of Konoha, and there was still much to be done. He did not have the luxury of grieving now. There were many civilians and ninja alike who were lying injured or trapped, and needed any help they could get.

Stiffly, he rose back to his feet, and picked his way carefully through the ruins of his home.

* * *

All was quiet, save for the occasional murmur of voices, or the quick chirp of a cricket. Iruka fidgeted slightly on his bedroll, staring forlornly up at the top of his tent as he lay there, thinking. On reflection, he figured he should have been a little cheerier: Pain had been defeated, Naruto was all right, and the fallen shinobi had been miraculously brought back. Though their village was still a pile of shattered rubble and most of the population huddled under makeshift shelters and tents, they were all slowly rebuilding.

The sheer relief and happiness that had flooded his very being upon seeing Kakashi and Naruto walk out of the forest- worst for wear but alive- had pushed away any restraint left in him. He'd wept openly along with everyone else in joy, the heavy burden of sorrow lifting off his heart.

And yet here he was, hours later, lying sleeplessly in his tent. His mind kept echoing with the same question: what if-

A small sound jerked Iruka out of his contemplation, and he lifted his head. A pale, gloved hand softly brushed aside the tent flaps, and a tall form crawled in beside him. The Chuunin didn't need light to know it was Kakashi; he felt the familiar warmth of the older man's chakra wash over him, softly mingling with his own. He sat up instantly, scooting over to make room for the Jounin. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, we finished fortifying the edge of the encampment." His voice was slightly hoarse, layered with tiredness. "Should be all right until the construction teams get some buildings up." Kakashi sighed, lying down stiffly. He tugged on Iruka's arm, pulling him down on the bedding next to him and curled up close. With his other hand, he jerked down his mask and removed his hitai-ate, setting them in a neat pile near their heads.

Iruka let out a long breath, his muscles relaxing as a strong arm wound around his waist, and warm lips pressed tenderly against the back of his neck. The gentle touches suddenly sparked tears in his eyes. It seemed almost surreal to experience such simple sensations now. Only a few hours ago he'd thought he had lost everything: his home, his comrades, and the man he loved.

"Ruka?" Kakashi opened his eyes, nuzzling against long brown hair. The younger man had stiffened noticeably, and his chakra was circulating in a slightly erratic manner. Usually that indicated distress or alarm. "What's wrong?" When the Chuunin didn't answer, he slowly turned Iruka in his arms until they were face to face. He was surprised to see scattered teardrops trailing down his scarred face, wetting his lashes. "Tell me."

Iruka inhaled shakily, pushing his face into the crook of Kakashi's neck. "It's too much."

"What is? Talk to me, baby." He ran his soothingly down the curve of his boyfriend's back, rubbing down on tensed muscle.

"I-" He sighed, reaching a finger up to brush aside a tear. "I thought I'd lost you today. I thought I lost so _many_ people." The heart beating rapidly in his chest felt painfully heavy, making it difficult to speak. "And I felt so useless, Kakashi." The other man opened his mouth to protest, but Iruka plowed on. "I couldn't help Naruto, I couldn't stop the enemy, and-" He bit his lip, reaching the most agonizing of thoughts. "And you had to save me today. You _died_ because of it."

"Don't say that-" Kakashi slid his hands to touch tan cheeks, tilting Iruka's head up so their gazes met.

"It's true, Kakashi!" He said fiercely, shaking his head. "And I can't help but think that it's too much! Is it worth it, being a shinobi? Because today I realized that I was so powerless against our enemies, so useless to Konoha-"

"Ruka." The silver-haired man slipped a finger over his lips, silencing him. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. You did as much as any man could. No one could stop every evil on their own." Kakashi paused, lowering his voice. "I gladly risked my life to save yours. And I'd do it again if need be."

Iruka froze, brown eyes widening. "Kakashi-"

The Jounin hushed him, embracing him tightly and tucking Iruka's head under his chin. He continued on quietly, "It's worth it because we live to serve the needs of our village, and to protect the people we love. I don't think anyone is useless who works for that kind of goal." His fingers combed through Iruka's hair slowly. "Do you remember a few months ago...when I told you about Obito?"

Iruka nodded, closing his eyes as Kakashi comfortably stroked through his hair. "I remember."

"For...the longest time afterward, I hated myself. I kept thinking, I could have saved him...I _should_ have saved him. What use is a ninja if he can't even save his best friend?" Kakashi sighed heavily, closing his left eye briefly. "But then, Minato-sensei told me something I've never forgotten. He said...that we can carefully plan and carry out our lives as meticulously as we want, but it doesn't change the fact that nothing is certain. Suffering will come, whether early or eventually, whether lightly or heavily. And for shinobi, the latter is often true." He pulled back a bit, giving Iruka a gentle look. "So we cannot run away from pain. A shinobi must come to embrace it, and learn to burn it as fuel for life's journey."

With a small sniffle, Iruka felt a smile tug at his lips. "When did you get so wise?"

Kakashi's chest vibrated as he chuckled. "Maa, so cruel, sensei. Maybe I've always been wise, but you weren't smart enough to recognize it." He slipped a hand under Iruka's shirt, slowly tracing his fingers along the warm skin underneath.

"You don't regret it then?"

"Regret what?"

Iruka bit his lip. "Us." He nodded at the both of them. "This. Don't you ever worry-" He gulped, feeling a lump in his throat. "That one day...I might...or you might-" Iruka stopped, unable to finish the sentence. It'd haunted his thoughts for a while now, but he never dared say it aloud, afraid of jinxing whatever good they had in their lives.

Kakashi brushed his lips against the younger man's neck, feeling the fine tremors. He understood well what Iruka was trying to convey; any ninja who let themselves get into any semblance of a relationship probably had it cross their minds: what would happen if one of them didn't come home safely from a mission? He'd seen some people like Kurenai who persevered on, mourning quietly. Others broke down completely, and never again were the person they used to be. And what about himself? If Iruka were to die in battle tomorrow, could he handle it? He was reluctant to consider such a question deeply, almost afraid of the answer. All he knew was that Iruka had become well ingrained in his life; the sound of his voice, the touch of his hand, the feel of his skin...he was very, _very_ far from ready to part with them.

Iruka groaned as a hand moved over his hips, reaching to stroke him between his legs. "Kakashi..." Despite his protest, he felt himself harden against the Jounin's ministrations. "I'm being serious."

"I am too." Kakashi shifted himself over Iruka, urgently tugging off clothes. Brooding on death and loss made desire rise uncontrollably, the need to feel that they were both still alive and real burning his senses. "Mm, I don't think I could go on without my naughty sensei." He caressed firm, tan skin appreciatively, memorizing every curve and scar.

"You're one to talk." He tried to sound exasperated, but the tone was somewhat hard to achieve as Kakashi pulled off his pants in one smooth motion and looked at him with dark, sensual eyes.

"I think we both could stand to do a little less talking." His fingers teasingly pulled at the waistband of Iruka's boxers.

Chuckling, Iruka threaded his fingers through tousled silver hair, pulling Kakashi's face to his and crushing their lips together. The kiss was fierce and wet as tongues slid hotly against each other, teeth nipping and biting whatever skin was closest. He tasted the sweat on his heated flesh and an earthy tang that he'd come to associate with Kakashi. Iruka always thought it was amusing how in spite of the Jounin's dislike of sugary foods, his lips tasted slightly sweet, reminding him of spring flowers and their mild honeys.

_***Edited Out***_

Dimly at first, he became aware of feather-light kisses being pressed to his brow. He lifted his head the barest bit off Iruka's shoulder, managing a tired smirk. "Hey."

The Chuunin just smiled back, wiping back several sweat-dampened locks of hair. He reached down and quickly pulled the thin blanket over both of them, settling back more comfortably. As if the day's trials hadn't been enough, the sex completely drained the rest of his energy. He felt himself drifting off, Kakashi's arms circled protectively around him, when lips brushed timidly against his ear.

"Ruka?"

"Yes?" He murmured sleepily, eyes falling close.

Kakashi took a small breath, resting his head against Iruka. "About what you said earlier."

"Hm?"

"I don't regret it," he said softly. "I think... I would rather mourn the loss of you and cherish our memories...than not to have met you at all."

And just as Iruka fell into a deep slumber, he thought that his heart couldn't hold an ounce more love. Kakashi had filled it to the brim, and then some.

.

_**-Fin-**_

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**A/N: I wanted to thank everyone who's read, reviewed, and enjoyed this story over the years. Special thanks go to those who waited so patiently as I churned this out, taking long breaks in between. You're awesome, and this wouldn't have gotten finished without all your support!**


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